On Monday, a 35-year-old prophetess named Folake Olasode and a 31-year-old schoolteacher named Damilola Aboloyinijo were brought before the Lagos State Magistrate Court in Tinubu, accused of fabricating a fake protection charm and defrauding their victim of N8 million.
The two are being charged with five counts, including conspiracy, theft, fraud, unlawful assault, and disturbing public order, as filed by the police.
Assistant Superintendent of Police Francis Igbinosa, the prosecutor, informed the court that Olasode and Aboloyinijo, whose residential addresses were not disclosed, allegedly committed these crimes in May 2024.
Igbinosa added that the defendants had allegedly conspired to carry out these offenses.
He mentioned that the event occurred at 7A, Jide Agbalaya Street, in the Chevy-View area of Lekki, Lagos.
The prosecutor stated that the defendants, along with others still at large, fraudulently obtained N8 million from Sarah Umeh, falsely claiming that they had prepared charms, batter, and made incisions on her and her three children for protection.
Igbinosa further informed the court that the defendants illegally assaulted Umeh and her three children by using a razor blade to make incisions on their bodies, falsely representing that this would protect them from death.
The defendants were also charged with behaving in a way that could disrupt public peace by burning charms kept in a calabash within Umeh’s compound.
The prosecutor stated that the crimes violated Sections 411, 314, 287, 172, 287, and 168 (d) of the 2015 Lagos State Criminal Laws.
The defendants denied the charges brought against them.
Their lawyer, Moses Enema, requested bail and asked the court to grant it under the most lenient conditions, noting that his clients were first-time offenders.
As a result, Magistrate Aderemi Gbajumo set their bail at N750,000 each, with two sureties per defendant required to post the same amount.
Gbajumo specified that the sureties must have valid employment and proper identification.
She also ordered that they provide proof of Lagos State Residents’ Registration and that the prosecutor verify their addresses.
The case was postponed to October 14, 2024, for the trial.
