A 43-year-old Islamic cleric, Alhaji Afeez Imoleayo is in Lagos police net for charming his U.S.-based friend and stealing N105 million from him.
Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone-2, Mr Ali Mohammed paraded the suspect along with five other suspects on Monday.
Imoleayo was paraded alongside four other accomplices identified as Ramon Uthman, Saidi Ajayi, Alhaja Monsurat Salami and Kikelomo.
AIG Ali Mohammed said the cleric also charmed his friend’s wife and three children and took them over as his own. He said the cleric’s wife assisted her husband in the crime.
Mohammed said aside the money and the friend’s family, the cleric and his wife also took over five vehicles and landed property belonging to the U.S.-based friend.
He told newsmen that that the suspect confessed using spiritual means to take over his friend’s family, more than N105 million and several landed properties in Lagos.
He said the cleric admitted to have bewitched the friend into changing his children’s names and land documents into his.
Mohammed said a complaint was lodged by the Nigerian identified as Animashaun, with the police on July 17, 2023, leading to the arrest of the cleric and his wife.
He added that other accomplices of the cleric and his wife were currently at large, but that five persons had been arrested over the crime.
He said also that one white Toyota Venza 2009 model, one Ashok Leyland Bus and various landed properties had been recovered from the suspects.
“The suspect abducted the petitioner’s wife and children for more than 10 years; subsequently changed their names to his through the help of his wife.
“He converted all the petitioner’s properties to his own, claiming that God directed him to do so.
“It was God that opened the petitioner’s eyes 10 years after when he realised what he was doing and returned to Nigeria to file his petition,’’ Mohammed said.
He added that the cleric’s wife confessed to the alteration of the birth documents of the complainant’s children to bear the cleric’s name.
He said that the cleric’s wife also admitted to have received more than 17,000 dollars (about to N11.8 million) from the complainant.
“Investigation showed that the suspect met the complainant at a religious place in Lagos after which they became friends.
“The complainant is based in the U.S.A and became close to the suspect about 16 years ago. While they were friends the complainant started to send the suspect money to execute a project.
“Instead, the suspect converted the complainant’s entire savings amounting to more than N105 million to his own,’’ Mohammed said.
The 43-year-old main suspect, Imoleayo, described the allegation as false.
“I lived with the boy (Animasaun) in the same building in Ikorodu. He used to assist me whenever we were having any Islamic crusade. He at various times donated to the success of the crusade.
“But at the end of the day, the Police came to my house to conduct a search but found nothing. They said he alleged I defrauded him but I did not.”
Asked why the complainant, his wife and children changed their names to his, Imoleayo replied: “He did it on his own. He did not only change his surname from Animasaun to Uthman Imoleayo, he also changed his wife’s and children’s names to mine and when I asked why he did it, he said he wanted it that way.”
“I did not abduct her. He brought his wife to me when she was sick. We treated her and when she was well, he told me to allow his wife and children to live with me because she was always having issues in Ibadan where she lived. His family has been staying with me for 10 to 13 years now.
“As for the car they said I took from him, I never did. Another person gave me the car. I also never threatened to kill him like he claimed.
“The herbalist they said I worked with does not have anything to do with this. The last time I saw the herbalist was seven or eight years ago. He was the one that taught me how to treat people with herbs.”
The suspects, according to the AIG, would be charged in court at the end of the investigation.
