Police smash robbery gang …Arrest indicted herbalist
By CHRISTOPHER OJI & TUNDE RAHEEM

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Police in Ondo have smashed a seven-man robbery gang, which was believed to have been terrorizing residents of the state.

Suspects




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Members of the gang, which comprised a renowned witchdoctor in Akure, are being quizzed at the State Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), section in Akure, the state capital.


The witchdoctor, Ajayi Komolafe, told Daily Sun that someone brought some members of the gang to him for his prayers. He said: “I am a witchdoctor, known all over Ondo State. One of my clients, Okpe, brought some people to me. The young men came for prayers for success in their business endeavours.”


He said when he consulted his oracle, the type of business the young men were engaged in - armed robbery were revealed to him.


According to him, he prayed and gave them some ‘success charms’. He said he continued to pray for members of the gang but they failed to show appreciation.

For instance, members of the gang once shared their loot in his shrine and gave little amount of money. “I watched them, as they shared the large sum of money. They only gave me a paltry sum of N5, 000.”

He said one day, he decided to challenge the gang for giving him little amount of money, considering the fact that he was responsible for their successes during robberies.


“Immediately I challenged them, Okpe told me that I was a healthy man, without deformity, that If I needed money, I should join them during next operation.”

He said after Okpe’s challenge, he decided to join the gang in the next operation. He said: “I actually went with them and we were successful and I got N15, 000. After the second operation, I got N25, 000. I made more than N60, 000, from the fifth operation.”


On how he was arrested, Babalawo (herbalist), as he was fondly called, said it was one of the members, who joined another gang to rob that implicated him.

“The boy did not come for prayers and ‘fortification’ before he went for the robbery operation. Besides, he failed to inquire from the gods whether his star was compatible with his new gang,” he said.

Another suspect, Olayinka Adebayo (aka Last born), believed by the police to be the leader of the gang, said contrary to the belief, the gang was led by one Frayo (at large).


He was angry with Babalawo, describing him as a fake witchdoctor. “He assured us that police would never arrest us, yet, they arrested us, telling us where and how we operated, ” he said.

He said members of the gang respected Babalawo, adding that he disappointed them.

He revealed that Frayo and the assistant leader of the gang, ECOMOG, were based in Lagos. “They were operating in Lagos, before police chased them away. They started operating on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. I met them in a party and informed them that my friend, Jelly, and I were also operating in Kwara State, before we were chased away last year.”


He said when he moved to Akure, he invited Frayo and ECOMOG. “We were succeeding until three months ago, when police changed their strategies. We became afraid and Okpe advised that we should consult a juju priest.”


He said after receiving assurances from babalawo that they were not going to be arrested, they decided to try their luck in Akure. “So, we robbed the Chief Security Officer (CSO), to the state government. We snatched his car and service pistol. That was our greatest undoing, as police arrested us.”

The Police Commissioner, Mr. Donald Iroham, who paraded the suspects in Akure recently, warned that Ondo State was now too hot for criminals, especially, armed robbers.

He said robbing in Ondo State is like embarking on a suicide mission, as there is no hiding place for armed robbers. “I would advise them to repent or quit the state,” Iroham said.

Nope. Reason why they get caught

One of the biggest mysteries of my sojourn on this planet is that their exists humans, particularly in my country Nigeria, that believe that they can rely on the words of some disheveled hermit to achieve something normally difficult to achieve. Why? Why are people bamboozled by this fraud called juju?

[size=18pt]ALL juju claims are fraudulent?[/size]