metro

Herbalist steals money, beheads lotto operator

Published

2 years ago

November 30, 2022

Idowu Talabi

A herbalist, Idowu Talabi, has allegedly beheaded a lotto operator, Isau Oluwatobiloba, for accusing him of stealing his money at their residence around Ilishan-Remo, in the Ikenne area of Ogun State.

PUNCH Metro gathered that Talabi and Oluwatobiloba were at home when the lotto operator accused the herbalist of breaking into his room to steal his money.

The accusation led to an argument between the duo but in a bid to prevent the argument from degenerating, neighbours reportedly intervened and demanded the matter be settled for peace to reign.

It was learnt that after Talabi and Oluwatobiloba were separated, the neighbours went into their various apartments.

However, in the middle of the night, Talabi, while armed with a cutlass, forced his way into Oluwatobiloba’s apartment, and allegedly beheaded him.

Oluwatobiloba’s wife, Esther, told our correspondent that she met her husband’s corpse in a pool of his blood when she returned from vigil on Saturday morning.

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She said, “We both left home in the afternoon on Friday November 25. I went to see my mother and returned in the evening. I told him I was going to church and he allowed me. I asked him to follow me but he said we should not leave our grandma, Mujidat, alone at home and I agreed and left for vigil.

“When I returned home and entered, everywhere was dark. I was scared, so I called my husband. So, to see clearly, I switched on the torchlight and saw his dead body. I shouted and people gathered. I quickly held Oluwatobiloba and accused him of killing my husband.”

A lawyer to the victim’s family, Kayode Oshiyemi, said Talabi took advantage of Esther’s absence at home to perpetrate the crime, adding that he told the deceased’s wife and grandmother to leave the door of their rooms open because he wanted to perform spiritual cleansing in the whole house.

He said, “The deceased’s wife has briefed me about the incident; she wants justice. The man and the landlord’s grandson were not on good terms. The deceased, who is a lotto operator, accused the herbalist of breaking into his room to steal his money and the herbalist confirmed that he stole his money.

“They have been quarrelling since then. So, the herbalist said he wanted to perform a ritual in the whole house and told the deceased’s mother living in the room adjacent to the deceased’s room that she should not lock their doors because of the ritual. The herbalist also told the wife he wanted to do the ritual but the wife left for a vigil.

“When the lotto operator’s wife returned from church around 5am and found her husband in a pool of blood, she accused the herbalist of killing her husband. The matter was reported at the Ikenne Police Station and everybody in the house was arrested. In the course of the investigation, one of the tenants living upstairs said he saw the herbalist burning some clothes soaked in blood in the middle of the night.

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“It was at that point that the herbalist confessed to the crime. The herbalist said he slaughtered him because he was pompous and always lived as if he was rich and had everything. The herbalist told the police that since the main door was unlocked, he used fire to melt the net and used scissors to open the lock to gain entry into the room.”

A picture in possession of our correspondent showed Oluwatobiloba’s corpse lying on the bed that had been soaked with his blood. Deep cuts were observed in the victim’s neck and chest.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Oyeyemi, in a statement, said the suspect was arrested following a report lodged at the Ikenne Police Station by the deceased’s wife.

He said, “Upon receiving the report, the DPO Ikenne Division, CSP Ibrahim Ningi, led his detectives to the scene, where it was discovered that the deceased was killed with a machete while sleeping on his bed.

“It was also discovered that there was no break-in at the scene and nothing was removed from the room. The discovery pointed to the fact that the killing was carried out by an insider, hence all the occupants of the house were invited to the station for interrogation.

“After a thorough investigation, Idowu Talabi, who claimed to be a native doctor, confessed to killing the deceased. When asked the reason for the dastardly act, the suspect alleged that the deceased was fond of accusing him of stealing.”

Related Topics:beheads herbalist Lotto money

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BREAKING: FEC proposes N47.9 trillion budget for 2025 fiscal year

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November 14, 2024

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BREAKING: FEC proposes N47.9 trillion budget for 2025 fiscal year

The federal government has unveiled a proposed budget of N47.9 trillion for the 2025 fiscal year.

Atiku Bagudu, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, disclosed this to journalists on Thursday following the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu.

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According to the minister, the government has pegged the crude oil benchmark at $75 per barrel, with an oil production target of 2.06 million barrels per day (bpd).

The budget also sets the exchange rate at N1,400 per dollar and aims for a gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of 6.4%.

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EFCC arrests ex-NCMB boss over $35m energy project fraud

Published

9 hours ago

November 14, 2024

Trends Admin

EFCC arrests ex-NCMB boss over $35m energy project fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) told FIJ that they have arrested Timber Wabote, the former executive secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCMB), on the grounds of a failed $35 million Bayelsa refinery project fraud.

Dele Oyewale, the EFCC’s spokesperson, confirmed this to FIJ on Thursday.

“It is true,” Oyewale responded to FIJ’s inquiries.

Wabote is accused of misappropriating public funds for a refinery project that should have improved local energy production.

Vanguard reported that the NCDMB under Wabote paid $35 million to support the development of energy infrastructure in the Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa, yet there was nothing to show for it.

The EFCC picked Wabote up following the arrest of Akintoye Adeoye Akindele, the Managing Director of Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited, for alleged misappropriation, money laundering and diversion of $35 million in public funds.

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“NCDMB under the watch of Wabote allegedly paid the $35 million to Akindele to build a 2,000 barrel per day (BPD), refinery, jetty, gas plant, power plant, data centre and tank farm at Brass free trade zone (FTZ), Okpoama Community in Brass LGA of Bayelsa State,” a source with the EFCC had explained.

Since December 2020 when the payments were made, Akindele abandoned the project with little or nothing to show for the huge sum he received.

Preliminary investigations showed that Wabote’s NCDMB financed 17 different projects, including the 2,000 BPD refinery in Brass LGA.

There has been a series of public fund misappropriation cases in the energy sector in recent times.

FIJ earlier reported that members of the House of Representatives summoned three ministers to defend how over $2 billion was spent on renewable energy with not much to show for it.

A recent FIJ report also recently detailed how residents of Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa, have not had power in their homes since July due to the vandalisation of the Ahoada-Yenagoa transmission towers caused by unidentified persons.

The Bayelsa state government told FIJ it was the federal government’s responsibility to provide electricity for residents. The state has no renewable energy options reliable enough to power its capital despite the multi-million-dollar NCMB energy project.

Transparency in the energy sector has become necessary at a time when Nigerians have suffered power instability due to frequent grid collapses.

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Court adjourns Yahaya Bello’s trial till Nov 27

Published

9 hours ago

November 14, 2024

Trends Admin

Yahaya Bello

Court adjourns Yahaya Bello’s trial till Nov 27

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has requested an adjournment in the new case against the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, stating that the 30-day window for the previously issued summons is still active.

The commission has granted administrative bail to his co-defendants, Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, and asked the court for an extension of time for Bello to appear.

At the resumed hearing before Justice Maryann Anenih of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, EFCC Counsel Jamiu Agoro noted that the court’s order from October 3rd had not yet expired.

“In that wise, we feel it will not be appropriate for us to take proceedings while that 30 days is still running. So we have discussed and agreed to come back on the 27th day of November, 2024, my lord,” he told the court.

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He also mentioned that the previously set date of November 20th was not convenient for the prosecution counsels.

Counsel to the second defendant, Aliyu Saiki, SAN, confirmed that his client had been granted administrative bail by the prosecution and had no objection to the adjournment request. The third defendant’s counsel, ZE Abass, concurred.

The prosecution counsel also requested the court to allow the notice of hearing to be pasted on the last known address of the first defendant.

After hearing from all counsels, the judge granted the EFCC’s application for adjournment and the issuance of the hearing notice.

“I have considered the application for adjournment by the complainant and issuance of hearing notice and the submission by the second and third defendants. The application is granted,” she said.

Justice Anenih then adjourned the case to November 27th for arraignment.

The former governor, alongside Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, are being prosecuted as 1st to 3rd defendants, respectively, in a fresh 16-count charge instituted against them by the EFCC.