metro
Lagos barber goes mad after using native soap
Lagos barber goes mad after using native soap
If Sunday Victor Obamotula had known that his quest for quick fortune would end up with him losing his sanity, he would have rejected the overture to go for money rituals in Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State. But the 34-year-old barber, who was plying his trade in Ojota area of Lagos, opted for a traditional ritual to boost his business fortune and suffered mental illness thereafter.
Sunday has since become a burden to his distraught mother and siblings after losing his senses in the aftermath of bathing with a black soap given to him by an an Ifa priest.
His mother, Madam Bernice Alake Sanni, a resident of No 35 Oko-Oba Road, Agege, Lagos, said she found that her eldest son had visited her younger sister in Ijebu Igbo, whose husband lured him to undergo Ifa rituals for prosperity, adding that she stopped her eldest son, Kayode Sanni, from continuing with the rituals after he had paid a lot of money to the man called Idowu Onabanjo a.k.a. Orlando.
“Without my knowledge, my second son, Sunday Obamotula, suddenly started patronising the same Orlando and had visited Ijebu Igbo for the same fortune making rituals. He had gone too far with the man before I knew what was happening,” she said.
Madam Sanni said her son was given a native soap to bath with and that it was after the bath that his mental illness started and has defied cure to date.
“My son told me that he was handed over to an aged woman who said they would do his rituals 50-50.
“He said he was given a soap to to bathe with, and that after using the soap on June 1, 2022, he began to lose his sanity.”
READ ALSO:
- US deploys jets, warships as Iran threatens Israel
- Canada set to deport Nigerian family over fake university acceptance letter
- Northern elders, economists advise Tinubu on how to end protests
Sunday’s older brother, Kayode Sanni, said he was almost lured by the same Ifa priest into the ritual that has shattered his younger brother’s life, asking the public to come to the aid of his family.
He said: “I have come to beg Nigerians to come to the aid of my aged mother and our family to save my brother, Sunday Sanni, from his current predicament.
“My younger (half) brother has been suffering from mental illness since he went to Ijebu Igbo where he was given a native soap to bathe with.
“It happened that around the year 2020, our mother took us to visit her sister at Ijebu Igbo, and our visit coincided with an Ifa festival organised by the husband of our mother’s sister.
“While we were there, he asked us to consider being initiated into the Ifa divinity, arguing that our lives could witness a turnaround if we did.
“I backed out of the preparation for the rituals after giving the sum of N200,000 to the man and he was still asking for more money and shifting the date of the initiation.
“As I speak, the man has not fully refunded the money he collected from me.
“However, my younger half- brother, Sunday Obamotula, went behind me and visited the Ijebu Igbo home of the Ifa priest.
“On a certain day, we received a distress telephone call from Ijebu Igbo to come pick my brother.
“The caller explained that my brother had suffered a mental disorder.
“Sunday told us that he was given a black native soap to bathe with and that his mental illness started as soon as he bathed with the soap.
“Since then, we have been battling with his mental sickness and his father had even visited Ijebu Igbo to seek solution to his mental illness, all to no avail.
“His father struggled to bring him home from Ijebu Igbo and we have taken him to many churches and different spiritual homes for healing but all the efforts have not yielded any fruit as his mental infirmity persists.
“He claimed afterwards that nothing was wrong with him, but we know that he is mentally unfit, because some times he would talk normally and at other times he would exhibit mental disorder when talking with people.
READ ALSO:
- Saraki replies Tambuwal: You never informed me of your withdrawal for Atiku in PDP primary
- Soyinka worries about festering corruption in Nigeria, offers solution
- Anxiety in Kogi over kidnap of local govt chairman
“He can sometimes be violent and would speak incoherently like an insane person. He would say that some mystery persons were appearing to him, asking him to eat human faeces and waste.
“We have tried to call the Ifa priest, who is also an artiste. He tried to strangle our mother recently, and if not for the intervention of the people around, he would have killed our mother.
“We are calling on the public to assist us in resolving the dilemma surrounding my brother’s mental illness as the person who allegedly gave him the native soap has refused to respond to our calls.”
Recalling his travails, Sunday explained that he deliberately approached the said Orlando for business fortune propitiation. He said his sickness was nothing to worry about, adding that his family members were unnecessarily disturbed by it.
He said: “My mother and siblings are unnecessarily worried about my ill health, but there is nothing to worry about in my condition.
“I went there (Ijebu Igbo) to do business and I fell sick there. It was just malaria and I have been treated.”
In another breath, Sunday said he purposely visited the traditionalist in Ijebu Igbo for the rituals to boost his business fortune.
He said: “I was the one that went there for a spiritual propitiation that could boost my business fortune as a barber and hair stylist.
“I was asked to come to Ijebu Igbo to help set up and manage a salon.
“We had bought all the goods to set up our office when we were accosted by policemen, and when they saw the tattoos on my body, they wanted to use that against me.
“But I told the policemen that having tattoos on my body is not a crime and does not portray anyone wearing them as a criminal. Hence, the policemen let go of me.”
“The name of the person that handled the propitiation for me is Idowu aka Orlando,
“He is a musician cum Ifa priest.
“I was the one that called my parents on the phone to come pick me up after I fell sick and my condition worsened.
“I used to smoke cannabis but I have stopped; I only smoke cigarettes now.”
Efforts made by the reporter to get Onabanjo’s reaction were futile, as he was said to have gone into hiding.
But his wife, Adebisi Asani Onabanjo, in a telephone conversation with our correspondent, said the allegation against her husband was untrue.
She described the matter as a case of turning a helper into an enemy unjustifiably and accused Sunday’s mother of being frivolous in her accusations.
Adebisi said: “May God not allow people you helped to turn your benevolence against you. I say this prayer because that is exactly what happened in the case you mentioned.
”There is no allegation that my sister, Sunday’s mother, has not leveled against other family members. She picks issues with people unnecessarily and that is her style.
”She is frivolous and always accuses people of being behind her woes. She once accused her husband of using spiritual power to stop her menstrual flow.
“There was another time she accused our elder brother of attacking her spiritually.
“My explanation is not something we can exhaust on the telephone. I would want to come down to Lagos to see you.
“I will find the time to see you in Lagos as well as Sunday’s mother, his brother and father.
“Sunday himself will be there when I will give you full explanation on the matter.’’
Lagos barber goes mad after using native soap
metro
Gunmen kill two soldiers in Abia checkpoint attack
Gunmen kill two soldiers in Abia checkpoint attack
Early Wednesday morning, gunmen attacked an army checkpoint in Ekenobizi, a border community between Abia and Imo states, located in Umuopara, Umuahia South Local Government Area.
The assailants reportedly arrived around 6:18 a.m. in a white Lexus SUV (model 350/400) and launched an assault that resulted in the deaths of two soldiers.
A military source, who wished to remain anonymous, provided details of the incident but could not confirm the exact number of attackers involved.
READ ALSO:
- 94 arrested as task force raids Lagos rail corridor squatters
- Two dead, buildings destroyed in American factory explosion
- Alleged fraud: South Africa FA President, Danny Jordaan, arrested
Confirming the incident in a press release on Wednesday, Lieutenant Colonel Jonah Unuakhalu of the Joint Task Force South East Operation UDO KA said: “In the early hours of today, 13 November 2024, troops of the Joint Task Force South East Operation UDO KA, deployed at a checkpoint along the Umuahia – Owerri Road in Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia State, came under attack by the irredentist group Indigenous People of Biafra and its armed affiliate, the Eastern Security Network.
“During the attack, the gallant troops were able to repel the assault, forcing the attackers to retreat in disarray with gunshot wounds, abandoning one Sienna and one Lexus Jeep used in the attack. However, in the ensuing firefight, two soldiers paid the supreme price.”
The Joint Task Force appealed to residents of the South East, particularly those in Abia State, for credible information to help track down the fleeing attackers and combat criminal elements in the region.
The force reiterated its commitment to protecting lives and property in line with global best practices and the rules of engagement.
Gunmen kill two soldiers in Abia checkpoint attack
metro
94 arrested as task force raids Lagos rail corridor squatters
94 arrested as task force raids Lagos rail corridor squatters
At least 94 illegal occupants and squatters along the railway corridor from Pen Cinema to Fagba were arrested by the Lagos State Taskforce in an early morning sting operation on Wednesday.
During the raid, substances suspected to be hard drugs—such as Indian hemp, colorado, and other harmful drugs—were seized, along with various weapons.
It was gathered that those arrested attempted to resist the task force’s actions.
In a statement, Director of Public Affairs, Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, confirmed that those arrested will face prosecution.
He added that the agency dismantled shanties and makeshift structures along the railway corridor, clearing a distance of some kilometers.
The Taskforce Chairman Adetayo Akerele explained that the eviction aimed to provide relief for residents around the Fagba, Agege, and Pen Cinema railway routes, following numerous complaints from the public about criminal activities in the area.
He noted that the squatting had violated environmental and sanitary regulations.
READ ALSO:
- Two dead, buildings destroyed in American factory explosion
- Alleged fraud: South Africa FA President, Danny Jordaan, arrested
- Okpebholo sacks all political appointees, Board executives in Edo
Akerele also highlighted the health and safety risks posed by the presence of squatters along the rail corridor.
He warned the evicted individuals not to return and assured residents and train passengers that regular patrols and surveillance would be conducted to prevent the re-establishment of shanties in the area.
“The rail tracks are not meant for habitation or the sale of narcotics. Anyone caught converting this place into a den of criminals or an area of residence will face severe consequences according to the law,” Akerele was quoted as saying.
Speaking on the raid, Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed that a locally fabricated short gun was recovered.
“94 suspects were arrested during the midnight operation; a locally fabricated short gun and several wraps of illicit substance suspected to be indian hemp, charm and a jack knife were recovered.
“The suspects will be charged to court accordingly,” Wahab stated in a post on X.
94 arrested as task force raids Lagos rail corridor squatters
metro
Okpebholo sacks all political appointees, Board executives in Edo
Okpebholo sacks all political appointees, Board executives in Edo
Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State has swept out all Board, Parastatal, and Agency appointees from his predecessor, Godwin Obaseki, in a decisive move to overhaul the state’s public service.
A statement released on Wednesday by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, confirmed the immediate dismissal of all political appointees and Permanent Secretaries brought in from outside the state Civil Service.
READ ALSO:
- A’Ibom police saved man from being lynched after son’s corpse found in carton
- Oyo community leader arraigned over land-grabbing allegations
- Reps question NAHCON handling of 2024 Hajj, subsidy disbursement, others
The statement reads:
“For the information of the general public, His Excellency, Senator Monday Okpebholo, Governor of Edo State, has approved the dissolution of Executives of all Boards, Agencies, and Parastatals in the Edo State Public Service with immediate effect.
“In addition, all Permanent Secretaries appointed from outside the State Public/Civil Service and all Political Appointees are hereby relieved of their appointments.”
Affected individuals have been directed to return all government property in their possession to the senior Public Officers in their respective Ministries, Departments, and Agencies.
Okpebholo sacks all political appointees, Board executives in Edo
-
Auto3 days ago
Toyota by CFAO surprises customers with free Hilux, motorcycles, all-expense-paid trip to Seychelles
-
International2 days ago
Belgium University offers scholarship up to €12,000 for Master’s students
-
International1 day ago
UK announces 45,000 seasonal worker visas for 2025
-
Railway1 day ago
Nigerian railway adds extra train to Friday, Saturday trips on Lagos-Ibadan route
-
Business2 days ago
Finally, marketers, Dangote refinery agree on direct fuel supply
-
International2 days ago
Saudi crown prince says Israel committing ‘genocide’ in Gaza
-
Business3 days ago
Cement price surges by 100% to N8,800 in one year
-
Politics3 days ago
Afenifere, Council of Obas back Aiyedatiwa for Ondo gov