Metro News

How one-minute enjoyment landed me police cell – Herbalist accused of rape

Published

4 years ago

August 6, 2022

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Forty-year-old herbalist, Samson Ogundele, was arrested for allegedly raping a 17-year-old girl when she and eight others went to him for consultation over missing N1,000 at a hairdresser’s salon in Ogun State.

Aside from being a herbalist what else do you do to earn a living?

I’m a farmer. I plant maize and cassava in Oja-Odan, Yewa-North Local Government Area of Ogun State.

Do you have a family?

Yes, I have two children. I have only one wife.

How did you become a herbalist?

It was my father’s work and when he died, I took over the job.

Did your father teach you or did you just know it?

No, I did not study it at all. I was not trained. I am not educated. I used to observe my father whenever he had a client. I watched what he did before he died and when he died, I took over.

When did he die?

I don’t know the year. I don’t even know my age; I just believe that I should be up to 40. I’m not educated. I did not go to school.

Do people usually come to you for a consultation?

Yes, they do come for consultation. They come to ask about things and I help them check them and tell them the step they need to take. Sometimes, I would be on the farm and they would call me to check things for them.

How did you find yourself in the police net?

Some girls came for a consultation.

To unravel what?

The sum of N1,000 went missing in a hairdresser’s salon where the girls worked and they came to check it. They were all apprentices there. They said they wanted to know about what happened in their shop and who stole it. I asked them to pay N700 and I brought out my material and asked them to speak to it, and I started checking it. They told me that there were three other people involved. Initially, only two people came for the consultation. I told them to come with others the next day because I had to attend a meeting.

What happened the following day?

The following morning, nine of them came and I took my ‘oracle’ and checked it. They wrote their names on paper and read them to me one after the other because I don’t know how to read. When they read the names, I started checking one after the other until it (‘oracle’) picked one. I told them that it had caught one person. I continued checking and it picked another person. I told them to be patient because if I spoke to them there, they would not confess. So, I took them inside my inner consultation room one after the other, and the two of them confessed. The first person said though she had been stealing things there (hairdressers’ salon) for a long time but she did not steal the missing N1,000. However, she told me to cover up for her and not expose her.

What did you do?

I told her to go. I called on the rest until it was the turn of the second person (whose name was picked by the ‘oracle’). I told her to confess and she did. I told her to respect my consultation room because of the presence of the deities by not telling a lie. She said she had been stealing things there for a long time and she was responsible for the missing money. I asked her how many times she had stolen something from the salon and she said three times; She also said she stole biscuits. She said the person left her bag and she stole money and biscuits there. I asked her why she did that and she said she was hungry. I asked if she was not given money at home and she was given. I then asked her what she wanted me to do to help her and what she would give me. She said she did not have anything except the N200 at the salon.

What did you tell her?

I told her I didn’t need her N200. I told her to let us date. She said if I want to date or marry her, I must be prepared to meet her parents and I said I was ready. I told her to let us have intercourse and she agreed. Immediately, she removed her trousers and lay flat on a mat in the room and we had intercourse in the room. While we were doing it (having intercourse), others were waiting outside and we could not stay together for long.

What happened after the intercourse?

When she got out, others asked her why she took so long and that was when she started crying. When they got to the salon and she was still crying, they asked her again and she said I slept with her.

How were you arrested?

I had a meeting the next day. I was at the meeting when I was called to return home. I told the person who called me that I would not go home till about 2pm. Upon getting home, I saw a crowd in front of my house. When I asked some people there what happened, they told me that the kabiyesi wanted to see me for a consultation. I went in to carry the instrument and gave someone N500 to buy alcohol since it was Kabiyesi. The person I sent took some time before coming back. When he came, he said we should go to the palace together since that was where I would do the consultation for the monarch. As I was being led to the palace, I heard many motorcyclists saying that they would break my head, and threatening to beat and kill me. When I got to the palace, the kabiyesi asked me what happened but I could not confess to him and that was when he ordered some policemen to arrest me. It was the youths that took me to the police. I was taken to a police station and I spent the night there.

What happened at the police station?

At the station, I explained everything to the police but I saw hell before I got to the station because the youth beat me till I got there.

Did you know the girl you slept with was a minor?

Yes, I knew but she did not tell me her age.

Another one said you attempted to sleep with her. Is that true?

No, I did not sleep with her. I only asked her to go. She did not give me anything.

The others requested I tell them who the culprit was but I told them to go and that I would call them later.

Do you live with your wife?

Yes.

Where was she when you were having intercourse with the minor?

I live in a two-bedroom apartment. One of the rooms is used for my work and my wife stays in the other one.

Was she around when you committed the act?

Yes, she was at home while I was doing it. She was making pap in the backyard. She was sick.

What is wrong with her?

She is a nursing mother.

Was that why you slept with a minor?

I don’t know. I don’t understand. I swear to God, It was the devil’s work. I did not know what came over me. The kabiyesi said that whoever committed that act would face the law but I’m still begging him.

Are you admitting that you raped her?

No. As soon as I asked her to let us have it (intercourse), she laid down. I did not force her. I did not even touch her pants. She removed them herself.

Did she not shout for help?

No, she did not. It was even fast. We could not even do it well because her colleagues were calling her repeatedly. It did not even take up to two minutes because her colleagues were disturbing us. She had to hurriedly leave and join her colleagues. It was a one-minute pleasure that landed me in trouble.

Why did you not consider that she was too young for that?

Hmm, but she was ripe and that was not her first time.

How did you know that?

She said it and she even said that she had a boyfriend, though he was not in Oja-Odan. I wanted to help her because her colleagues might beat her up and put her to shame. She did not want to be put to shame. She begged me to help her by not disclosing what I found out.

Does that mean you deceived her with a marriage promise?

I did not deceive her. If she had come back after, I would have gone to meet her parents and married her. A herbalist can even marry three (wives).

You would have been happy marrying a thief?

Yes, there is an antidote for it. I would someone you claimed to be have helped her to remove the disease. It is a disease and if she had come back and married me I would have prepared the antidote for her. There are many things that I could have done to make her stop stealing. There are even antidotes for drunkards.

As a herbalist, what happens to people who commit such a crime?

I don’t know.

Why did you not revere the ‘oracle’ or see what you did before it as an abomination?

I don’t worship the oracle. I only worship Ogun (god of iron) and it was not in the room. I put it in front of my yard. Help me. I don’t know what happened to me. Please, help me.

The interview was culled from The Punch

Metro News

NDLEA arrests South African woman with drug shipments, seizes large consignment of drugs at Lagos airport

Published

19 hours ago

October 11, 2026

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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says its operatives have arrested a South African, Gebashe Sithandiwe Jessie, with 30 parcels of Thai Loud, a strain of cannabis, weighing 32.74 kilogrammes, at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, Rivers State.

According to a statement issued on Sunday by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the drugs were concealed in two travelling bags.

The statement added that the suspect travelled from Thailand through Doha aboard Qatar Airways flight QR1431.

“She confessed to having previously trafficked through other African countries, and was expanding her route to Port Harcourt when she was caught.”

Similarly, NDLEA operatives at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, intercepted a shipment of 354,000 tablets of Tapentadol 250mg weighing 307.20kg from Pakistan.

Babafemi said the consignment arrived aboard a Royal Air Maroc flight on September 29 and was placed under surveillance before a joint examination on Tuesday, October 6, uncovered the drugs in nine cartons.

In a separate operation at the Lagos airport, NDLEA officers intercepted 70 parcels of Colorado, a synthetic cannabinoid, weighing 75.90kg in six Ghana-Must-Go bags contained in a consolidated cargo from the United Kingdom.

The statement said the shipment was monitored after arriving on September 29.

A clearing agent, John Edrah, 54, was arrested on September 30, while an Uber driver, Taofiq Ajibola, 54, was apprehended while collecting one of the bags at a logistics company in Mafoluku, Oshodi.

The agency said Adetunji Adebayo and Kazeem Damola Dosunmu, 48, a clothing trader, were subsequently arrested when they came to collect the remaining five bags.

According to Babafemi, Ajibola said the drugs were sent by a UK-based associate, Lukman Sa’idu, while Dosunmu claimed his consignment came from another UK-based man identified as Yusuf.

In Cross River State, NDLEA operatives arrested 46-year-old Adama Inuwa at Iyala Nkun village, Ikom Local Government Area, on Sunday, October 4, following surveillance.

Babafemi said the operation led to the recovery of 181 bags of cannabis sativa weighing 1,100kg and 17.15kg of cannabis seeds.

In Edo State, officers intercepted a black Toyota Camry conveying 1,049 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 702.83kg at Otuo, Owan East Local Government Area, on Monday, October 5.

The agency said Monday Orji, 52; Monday Lawal, 40; and Precious Uduegele, 20, were arrested in connection with the seizure.

In a separate raid at Asoro, off Sakponba Road, Benin City, operatives arrested 26-year-old Ojugo Mercy with 989 grammes of Loud, 13 grammes of Colorado and 83 grammes of methamphetamine.

In Ondo State, a 21-year-old suspect, Happy Endurance, was arrested at her hideout in the Shasha area of Akure on October 5, with 29 bags of cannabis weighing 290kg.

The statement added that a separate raid on an apartment at Oba-Ile, Akure, on the same day led to the arrest of 42-year-old Tunde Adebayo, with 35 bags of cannabis weighing 351kg.

In Taraba State, NDLEA operatives, supported by soldiers, arrested Abdulrasheed Mohamed, 31, and Abubakar Saidu, 37, at Chanchanji village, Wukari Local Government Area, on Friday, October 9.

Babafemi said the suspects were found with 166,200 tablets of tramadol 225mg weighing 107kg.

In Kano State, a stop-and-search operation along the Kano-Maiduguri Road on October 9 led to the arrest of 32-year-old Yahaya Musa with 24,990 capsules of tramadol, 50,000 tablets of diazepam and 22,000 tablets of Exol-5.

In Kaduna State, operatives on patrol along the Zaria-Kaduna Expressway arrested 29-year-old Mohammed Musa with 31 jumbo bags and 775 blocks of skunk weighing a combined 1,027kg.

The agency also arrested Musbau Balogun Adekunle in Orile, Lagos, on Tuesday, October 6, with 32.51kg of skunk and 52.65kg of cannabis seeds, bringing the total seizure to 85.16kg.

In Plateau State, NDLEA operatives raided the residence of 45-year-old Christian Chukwudi Uju at Rukuba Road, Jos, on Thursday, October 8, recovering methamphetamine, firearms and ammunition.

According to the statement, the items seized included 47 grammes of methamphetamine, two pump-action rifles, one locally made gun, 199 live cartridges, five rounds of 7.62mm ammunition and one round of 9mm ammunition.

The agency said its War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation campaign also continued across the country, with lectures delivered to students and staff of schools in Oyo, Ebonyi, Niger, Kano, Lagos and Ogun states.

Among the institutions reached were Progressive Grammar School, Tede, Oyo State; Eghugo Technical College, Afikpo, Ebonyi State; Baptist High School, Lambata, Niger State; and Ipara Senior and Junior Community Secondary School, Badagry, Lagos State.

Commending officers involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), praised personnel of the Lagos, MMIA, PHIA, Taraba, Kano, Kaduna, Edo, Cross River, Ondo and Plateau Commands.

Babafemi said Marwa commended the officers “for their professionalism and intelligence-driven approach to the various successful operations” and urged them “to continue with the current balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency.”

Metro News

NDLEA arrests 83-year-old ex-convict with Colorado, meth in Abia

Published

21 hours ago

October 11, 2026

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Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have rearrested an 83-year-old grandmother, Uloma Uchechi Sunday, with consignments of methamphetamine and Colorado.

The arrest comes barely a year after the grandmother was convicted of drug-related offences.

Uloma was first arrested on May 17, 2025, alongside her 32-year-old daughter, Chisom Uchechi, at the same residence.

This was disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.

According to Babafemi, the octogenarian was arrested on Wednesday, October 7, at her residence in Ite-Uzo, Umuaguma, Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State, with the substances allegedly tied around her waist with a wrapper.

Her arrest followed credible intelligence indicating that she operated a notorious drug joint allegedly harbouring criminal elements terrorising the community.

During her first arrest in May, operatives recovered 50 grammes of methamphetamine, 522 grammes of skunk, 260 grammes of fresh cannabis leaves and 12 grammes of tramadol from the Uloma and her daughter.

According to the statement, “Both pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment or a fine of N200,000 each. They paid the fine and were released by the court”

The NDLEA spokesman alleged that the elderly woman returned to the illicit drug trade after her release.

“Undeterred, the notorious old woman promptly returned to the criminal trade and escalated the scale by setting up a drug joint where she harbours dangerous characters,” the statement added.

Metro News

Varsity lecturer dies after sex romp with prostitute in hotel room

Published

5 days ago

October 7, 2026

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A senior lecturer at the Edo State-owned Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, identified as Dr. Matthew Uwuigbe, has repeatedly died in a hotel room after an alleged sexual encounter with a 21-year-old commercial sex worker, identified as Angela Defa Jacob.

The incident, according to a report by Punch online, happened on Sunday at a hotel in the Mosco area of Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State.

It was gathered that the lecturer had checked into the hotel with the sex worker and died moments after the romp.

Spokesperson for the Edo State Police Command, Eno Ikoedem, who confirmed the incident, said three persons have been arrested in connection with the incident.

She said, “On October 5, 2026, at about 8 pm, the command received a report that Matthew Uwuigbe, a lecturer at Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, had lodged at a hotel in Ekpoma and engaged the services of a 21-year-old sex worker, Angela Defa Jacob.

“He subsequently sent the woman to purchase water for him, and upon her return, she found him lying dead in the room.”

Ikoedem said the hotel owner, the manager and the sex worker are currently in custody while investigation continues. The corpse, she added, has been deposited at the Oriaifo Memorial Hospital mortuary.

The university’s Public Relations Officer, Otunba Mike Ade Aladenika, confirmed that Uwuigbe is a staff member of the institution, but said the incident occurred outside the campus.

“We are not denying that he is our staff, but whatever he did and what happened, it is his private life. The girl in question is not our student, and everything happened outside our institution,” he told the News outlet.