Timothy Owoeye, an Osun State lawmaker seen on a viral video depicting him as bathing in the market square for ritual, was a victim of a ritual syndicate which had operated in the state for a long time, the police have told PREMIUM TIMES.


Timothy Owoeye, an Osun State lawmaker. [PHOTO CREDIT: Official facebook page of Timothy Owoeye]

Little was known outside of Osun State about Mr Owoeye until a video showing him being beaten by some men who purportedly caught him taking a midnight ritual shower in a market hit the Internet this weekend.

Some of those who circulated the video on social media said Mr Owoeye, who is currently the House Majority Leader of Osun State House of Assembly, was performing the ritual as he intensified activities towards his political success in the upcoming general elections.

But Mr Owoeye, representing Ilesa West for the All Progressives Congress, was actually a victim of a high-wire blackmail racket that had seen him part with humongous amount of his personal wealth in a desperate bid to save not only his own career but family image, Osun police commissioner, Adeoye Fimihan, told PREMIUM TIMES Sunday afternoon

The fellow is a victim of some fraudsters who duped him some amount of money,” Mr Fimihan said by telephone. “They tricked him to that place and did that to blackmail him so that he will not be able to lodge complaint in the public.”

Mr Owoeye’s misery began about six months ago when he agreed to have a midnight shower in a market as recommended by herbalists he had been consulting for traditional prayers. The location is rumoured to be Osun Jela, described as a lull community between Osogbo, the state capital, and Ijesa.

But as he undressed himself and started having his shower, some persons — whom the police suspect had been lurking in the dark— emerged from the nearby bush, turned on lights and focused cameras on the lawmaker.

PREMIUM TIMES learnt from sources close to Mr Owoeye that persons were arranged by the fraudsters who had been parading themselves to the lawmaker as herbalists working to help enhance his fortunes through traditional means.

They syndicate promised not to circulate the video if Mr Owoeye complied with their demands for cash. He paid the initial cash to the crooks, which subsequently opened a cascade of regular financial flows to their pockets.

At some point during the blackmail, about three months ago, Mr Owoeye wanted to sell a filling station he owned after running out of liquid cash to keep hushing his so-called scandal.


Timothy Owoeye, an Osun State lawmaker seen on a viral video depicting him as bathing in the market square for ritual, was a victim of a ritual syndicate which had operated in the state for a long time, the police have told PREMIUM TIMES.


Little was known outside of Osun State about Mr Owoeye until a video showing him being beaten by some men who purportedly caught him taking a midnight ritual shower in a market hit the Internet this weekend.

Some of those who circulated the video on social media said Mr Owoeye, who is currently the House Majority Leader of Osun State House of Assembly, was performing the ritual as he intensified activities towards his political success in the upcoming general elections.

But Mr Owoeye, representing Ilesa West for the All Progressives Congress, was actually a victim of a high-wire blackmail racket that had seen him part with humongous amount of his personal wealth in a desperate bid to save not only his own career but family image, Osun police commissioner, Adeoye Fimihan, told PREMIUM TIMES Sunday afternoon.


“The fellow is a victim of some fraudsters who duped him some amount of money,” Mr Fimihan said by telephone. “They tricked him to that place and did that to blackmail him so that he will not be able to lodge complaint in the public.”

Mr Owoeye’s misery began about six months ago when he agreed to have a midnight shower in a market as recommended by herbalists he had been consulting for traditional prayers. The location is rumoured to be Osun Jela, described as a lull community between Osogbo, the state capital, and Ijesa.


But as he undressed himself and started having his shower, some persons — whom the police suspect had been lurking in the dark— emerged from the nearby bush, turned on lights and focused cameras on the lawmaker.


PREMIUM TIMES learnt from sources close to Mr Owoeye that persons were arranged by the fraudsters who had been parading themselves to the lawmaker as herbalists working to help enhance his fortunes through traditional means.

They syndicate promised not to circulate the video if Mr Owoeye complied with their demands for cash. He paid the initial cash to the crooks, which subsequently opened a cascade of regular financial flows to their pockets.

At some point during the blackmail, about three months ago, Mr Owoeye wanted to sell a filling station he owned after running out of liquid cash to keep hushing his so-called scandal.


“He did not sell the filling station, but he had paid them more than 40 million before then,” the source said. It was when Mr Owoeye was trying to raise money by selling his filling station that an associate pressed him to disclosed what his crisis was about. He was then asked to advised to take the matter to the governor and subsequently to the police.

“We are happy that he summoned the courage to complain and the police succeeded in arresting some of those fellows and they were charged to court,” Mr Fimihan said. “Whatever is being circulated is just a way of ensuring that he will not be able to complain.”

The commissioner said he could not immediately tell how much Mr Owoeye lost to the scheme, but the police had recovered N10 million of it already

I cannot say precisely now, but the police were able to recover N10 million of the funds he was swindled,” the police chief told PREMIUM TIMES.


Both the commissioner and Mr Owoeye’s associate told PREMIUM TIMES the video was leaked by other members of the syndicate who were yet to be taken into custody.


Mr Owoeye could not be reached for comments. It was also not immediately confirmed whether the arrested suspects had hired their legal representatives


Ritual prayer by fake herbalists is a booming trade in which unsuspecting citizens lose billions across Nigeria annually, and the police have spent years combating its spread by regularly smashing hideouts of syndicates




https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/283926-police-speak-on-osun-lawmaker-caught-bathing-in-market-square.html

Lol, funny African stories.

Midnight shower in the market..

This is just the one we heard of, politicians do worse, so free the guy abeg

Blockhead.

I called him blockhead because he should not have believed these people in the beginning.
I remember one idiot who asked me to follow him to a native doctor to seek for protection. Well i blocked all his phone numbers to protect myself from him. He was the one i needed to protect myself from.

Nigeria will be good when we have only atheists as leaders. People who believe in humanity.

The moment we elect these blockheads, they run to church or shrine for Thanksgiving.

I know the religious blockheads would leave the points I raised and threaten me but i advice them to save their energies. I already fortified myself long ago.

I see a Democratic Ritualist here
I sense a Political Dibia here

Africans and backwardness shaa

X

They will always defend the rich and be swift and quick to inflict pains on the poor...

Quest for power by all means (Malcolm X) - if you know what I mean...

Ritualist everywie

Can we be shown proves of the 40million that was paid.... Lies

H

So because he was scammed by fake ritualist he hasn't done anything by seeking rituals abi wetin this people dey talk so

Election time oo God take control..

Eyyah.

Mr OWOEYE is a ritualist smh

Story for the zombies to believe
Spits on the story

I suspected something bad when I saw that video. It was a well arranged blackmail for money purposes.

Lolzz

See damage control

Everything is now blackmail 3rd mainland bridge woman said is blackmail did one blackmail infact if dey see human head in ur hand its blackmail also cursed country

Every one has a way of making things work out for them. So long as he isnt involved in using Humans for rituals. I am not against him

The article is badly copied and the mod had to push this to FP.

Rubbish: late and ineffective damage control mechanism.

Trust no desperate politician and Nigeria police

I've never done this before, but hey y'all...

Click share if you believe this story
and
Click like if you think it's a moonlight tale

fuckerstard:
Lol, funny African stories.

Midnight shower in the market..

Small pikin lie. why not just say that the man wanted to be a traditionalist and test was a kind of cleansing exercise.

No b any blackmail racket any thing... Na ritualist him b like most of our politicians... D police are jus trying to make stupid excuses for him

Can you see the Nigerian police defending this Man?

Tale by the moonlight.... This story should be added to African stories for our kids.

Police defending the undefendable,,, almost all Nigerian politicians indulge in this kind of evil act.