Two traditional healers, who allegedly swindled a woman of 29,000 British Pounds were on Thursday docked in a Yaba Chief Magistrates’ court in Lagos.
The police charged Mohammed Samatu, 40, and Ajani Kazeem, 47 with three counts of conspiracy, obtaining by false pretences and theft.
They, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge. The Prosecution Counsel, SP Idowu Osungbure, told the court that the defendants committed the offence sometime in March, at Yaba area of Lagos.
She said the complainant, Mrs Juliet Enwerobi, consulted the defendants on some personal issues she was experiencing. She said that the defendants told the complainant that she had some spiritual problems and needed to be ”cleansed”.
Osungbure further told the court that the defendants collected 29,000 British Pounds (about N26 million from the complainant for the cleansing exercise. The offence, she said, contravened the provisions of sections 314, 287 and 411 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015 (Revised).
Section 314 is punishable by 15 years imprisonment for obtaining by false pretences while 287 stipulates three years imprisonment for the offence of stealing.
Chief Magistrate Adeola Adedayo admitted the defendants to bail in the sum of N5 million each with two responsible sureties in like sum. She further directed that one of each of the sureties must be a blood relation with all of them residing within the court’s jurisdiction.
The court held that the sureties must also submit copies of their National Identification Number (NIN), Bank Verification Number (BVN) and their international passports to the court.
She added that they must be gainfully employed with evidence of three years tax payment to Lagos State Government. Adedayo adjourned the case until May 17 for mention.
