City Beats
A self-acclaimed spiritualist, Alhaji Salihu, has been arrested by the police in Abuja for allegedly defrauding a Lagos-based businessman, Patrick Ogbonna, of N70 million under the guise of possessing mystical powers to double money.
Salihu, reportedly based in Adamawa State, allegedly conspired with an accomplice who posed as a police officer, one Inspector Daniel, to convince Ogbonna of his supposed supernatural abilities to bring financial breakthrough.
The businessman was said to have been manipulated into believing that the use of special perfumes and specific prayers would attract immense wealth.
Trusting the process, he reportedly transferred the money in instalments to Salihu’s bank account, hoping to receive the promised doubled amount.
The scam eventually came to light when the anticipated financial miracle failed to materialise.
According to the businessman, Inspector Daniel persistently persuaded him to consider a money-doubling scheme being operated by the Alhaji, saying that the policeman told him the said spiritualist had done it for several people and they easily changed foreign currencies after certain rituals.
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The businessman claimed that he became skeptical when the spiritualist started asking for goats, cattle and other animals to be slaughtered for ritual, adding that he started requesting for refund of his N70m but the Alhaji failed to oblige him.
Following his failure to refund the money, the businessman petitioned the police headquarters in Abuja which led to the arrest of the self-acclaimed spiritualist.
The police, it was gathered obtained a court order for the detention of the suspect, who was said to have made attempts to use some clerics to influence his release on medical grounds but the businessman objected, describing the health claim as false and insisted the suspect must face the law for his criminal action.