Pastor dupes woman N70m to cure fibroid

Detectives attached to the Special Fraud Unit (SFU), Ikoyi, Lagos State, have arrested a 45-year-old pastor of a Celestial Church of Christ for allegedly duping a businesswoman N70 million to remove her fibroid.

The pastor, simply identified as Ayoola was arrested April, 5 at Ado- Ekiti, in Ekiti State, where he allegedly ran to hide after collecting the money from the victim.

The victim has had fibroid for about 14 years. In 2007, she met a woman who introduced her to the pastor. The pastor promised to ensure that the fibroid was removed from her uterus. The victim was also experiencing regular blood flow every day, which was abnormal.

The Commissioner of Police, in charge of the SFU, Mr. Ibrahim Larmode, represented by a Superintendent of Police, Ngozi Braide said that the total so far fraudulent collected from the victim, including cars bought for him and houses built for him, was at least N70m.

Braide said: “The pastor charged the victim N98, 000 when she was brought before him. After collecting the money, he prepared some concoctions for her, which stopped the regular blood flow.”

Braide said: “Immediately the blood flow stopped, the victim started seeing Ayoola as her saviour. The pastor instructed the victim to stop having sex with her husband. He warned that if she has sex with her husband, the blood would continue. Ayoola also lied to the woman that her husband belongs to different secret cults. He told her that each time she had sex with her husband, his money would increase. He said they would have to kill the victim’s husband in order for her to have and live a better life.”

Braide further explained that Ayoola, whom she described as a fake, told the victim to bring her children for spiritual cleansing, which she did. The children were given some concoctions to drink. Thereafter, Ayoola went to the victim’s house and planted some charms in the compound.

The only son of the victim was said to have gone mad two days after drinking the concoction given to them by Ayoola.

When the relationship between Ayoola and the victim began to wax stronger, he told the woman to build a replicate of their duplex house for him. The woman obliged him. She went to Ijoko area of Sango, Ogun State, where Ayoola had a land and built the house.

Ayoola also requested for a Toyota Highlander car, Lexus Jeep and two five-bedroom bungalows at Ado-Ekiti from the suspect. The victim immediately bought the cars and also built the bungalows.

Braide noted: “When Ayoola noticed that the victim’s son was misbehaving, he advised her to allow him to care for the boy. The son was brought to Ado-Ekiti. Two weeks later, Ayoola returned the boy to Lagos, saying he was healed.”

After the boy was healed, the pastor requested for money from the victim. She paid him. When one of the victim’s daughters saw that her brother had been healed, she gave Ayoola N20m. Ayoola allegedly used his closeness to the girl, to disclose that their father wanted to kill them.

It was further alleged that immediately the girl gave Ayoola N20m, she seemed to come back to her senses. She went to her father and revealed everything about the pastor and her mother’s entrapment. This led to the family going to SFU to lodge a complaint. Ayoola was arrested.