A 33-year-old man, Ibrahim Orona, who was arrested by the police for allegedly using his girlfriend for money ritual in Ogun State has been arraigned.

Orona, who the police identified as a suspected internet fraudster, known as Yahoo-boy, had on Friday appeared before a Magistrates’ Court sitting in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

Recall a 23-year-old girl, Temilade Olabanji, said to be the suspect’s girlfriend, started barking like a dog after she was hypnotized by her lover.

The girl, in a viral video recorded in a police cell, stripped herself as she barked uncontrollably.

It was gathered that the suspect had used what was suspected to be a charm while making love with her, in an attempt to sacrifice her for his own ‘spiritual wealth’.

The Ogun State police command confirmed the incident, saying “the young lady in question was alleged to have been spiritually and diabolically used by a suspected yahoo boy, as a result of which she started barking like a dog.”

The Ogun State police spokesman, Abimbola Oyeyemi, informed that the victim, who was taken to police without any clothes on her, became “very difficult to control because she was acting violently, hence she was kept in the cell.”

Oyeyemi said police had immediately contacted her parents, saying she was taken to the hospital with the help of the police.

He said “the alleged Yahoo boy was immediately arrested for interrogation,” adding that the case which attracted a large crowd to the station was later transferred to the State CIID on the directive of the Commissioner of Police, CP Lanre Bankole.

However, Oyeyemi said the command was surprised and embarrassed to see the video of the victim circulating on social media.

“The height of the embarrassment was the fact that the said video was recorded while the victim, who was then naked and uncontrollable, was in a police cell.

“In view of this, the Commissioner of Police, CP Lanre Bankole ordered a full-scale investigation to unravel the source of the video and how it became a subject of social media discussion.

“It is barbaric, uncivilized and despicable circulating such video on social media as such will in no small measure denigrate the human dignity of the victim which might be another source of psychological trauma for her.

“The Command has therefore vowed to deal with whoever found to be the source of the video and those behind its circulation on social media in the most decisive manner notwithstanding the status of the person,” Oyeyemi said.

COURT

The police had charged Orona, a resident of 35, Ago-Ika, Idi-Oparun area of Abeokuta, with conduct likely to cause breach of peace.

Presenting his case before the court, the prosecution counsel, ASP Olakunle Shonibare, had disclosed that Orona committed the offence on June 26 at Ago-Ika area of Abeokuta.

According to Shonibare, Orona had applied a substance he claimed to be a charm on his private part when he wanted to have an affair with the victim.

The prosecutor explained that, “immediately after the intercourse, the girlfriend started barking like a dog and became unconscious.”

It was said that Olabanji was taken to a herbalist for revival before she was later rushed to a hospital for proper treatment.

The offence, Shobanire noted, contravened Section 210(c) of the Criminal Law of Ogun 2006.

Meanwhile, the Magistrate, O. M. Somefun, has admitted Orona to bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum.

Somefun ordered that the sureties, one of whom must be his family member, must produce evidence of three year tax payments to the Ogun State Government.

She ordered that Orona be remanded at the Oba Correctional Centre should he fail to meet the bail conditions.

She adjourned the case till August 2, 2022, for hearing.