Tawakalitu Afolake Illumoka, an 88-year-old prosecution witness, on Thursday, revealed to Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, how one Olorunfemi Ayodeji duped her out of N36 million for spiritual cleansing.

In a press release, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) revealed that between 2015 and 2016, Olorunfemi Ayodeji (aka Otunba), Baba Ifakunle, Ifabunmi, Ifakunle, Moses Alade, Ganiyu Hakeem, Idokan Taye and others conspired among themselves and obtained a total sum of N36 million from Tawakalitu.

“You (the accused) conspired among yourselves and obtained the total sum of N36,000,000 (Thirty-six Million Naira) from Alhaja Tawakalitu Afolake Ilumoka, after you gave her a calabash containing unknown concoction which you deceived her to drink and bath with, on the pretext that their god “YEYE OSUN” had blessed her with a box containing US Dollars and that the said N36,000,000 would be used for spiritual cleansing before the US Dollars could be spent, which pretence you knew was false,” one of the counts against the accused read.

Although Ayodeji pleaded not guilty, Tawakalitu identified the defendant, and stated that she knew him through her daughter, Kuburat Ilumoka.

Tawakalitu explained that their relationship started seven years earlier, when he was contacted to pray over the land she wanted to sell.

“He told me to prepare a bowl of Semo with enough soup and several pieces of meat, which I should give as an offering to a mad man. After he had prayed over it, I gave it to a mad man. I later sold the piece of land situated at Orile-Agege, Lagos, for N100 million, and gave Otunba N100, 000,” she said.

When her son, who lived abroad was confined to a wheel chair, Tawakalitu said, she contacted Otunba again and that set off a series of bizzare experiences. She said she was abused, threatened, blackmailed and forced to pay of N5 million, N11 million and N10 million at different times into an account before eventually paying them N36 million.

When Tawakalitu reported the matter to EFCC, the organisation was able to recover the sum of N1.8 million.

The case was adjourned until September 30, 2022, for continuation of trial.