A UK-based Nigerian woman has accused a traditional ruler, Oba Adekeye Adeyemi Olanrewaju, the Abepa of Joga Orile, Yewa North, Ogun State, of using marriage as a ploy to defraud her.

The woman, identified as Christy Oluwabunmi, claims that the monarch exploited her trust, leading to financial and material losses amounting to hundreds of millions of naira.

She told SaharaReporters that the monarch later went ahead to help her obtain a forged divorce certificate to leave her former husband so that the monarch could marry her.

“Kabiyesi went to forge a divorce certificate for me to leave my husband and also took me to the court registry to formalise my marriage with him.

“It was later I realised this is his usual way of deceiving women. In fact, it was later I knew no fewer than five women were once his victims. He always preyed on wealthy ones like me,” the woman told SaharaReporters in a telephone conversation.

In petitions submitted to the Osun State Governor; Ondo State Governor; Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Inspector General of Police, and Director General of the State Security Service (SSS), otherwise known as Department of State Services (DSS), and the Chairman of Ogun Council of Obas, Ms. Oyewole narrated how Adekeye Adeyemi approached her on June 30, 2022, with romantic advances, promising marriage and financial stability.

“He pretended to be in love with me, vowing to marry me and support my business. Eventually, I was manipulated into transferring over N53 million via electronic transactions, N12 million in cash, mobile phones worth N10.8 million, and gold valued at N120 million,” she wrote in the petition, attaching receipts as evidence.

The victim further alleged that after extorting her, the traditional ruler attempted to lure her into a dubious ritual in Ekiti State, where she was told she would need to sacrifice an eye or a leg to attain financial prosperity.

Realising she was being deceived, she resisted, only to find herself financially ruined and abandoned.

In a shocking revelation, she claimed the monarch had forged a divorce judgment and had used the same fraudulent scheme on at least three other women.

When she demanded a refund of her money and valuables, he allegedly threatened her life, boasting about his influence and ties to cultists and thugs.

“He has converted my hard-earned money, gold, phones, and valuables to his personal use unlawfully. All efforts to retrieve them have proved abortive. Instead, he threatens to kill me, claiming nothing will happen because he is a king,” she alleged.

In her petitions, she wrote, “That one Adekeye Adeyemi Olanrewaju approached me on 30th day of June, 2022 with a confidence trick, pretended to be romantically interested in me when he claimed and vowed that he would marry me being a single mother struggling alone to cater for myself and children without husband.

“It was thereafter revealed to me that the suspect has been using same style to defraud single women who are blessed with wealth. The suspect had used the similar criminal style to defraud three different ladies who were later threatened to be killed if the matters were reported to the law enforcement agencies.”

She said she was hypnotised to an extent of being defrauded of more than N53 million via electronic transfer, cash of N12 million, mobile phones worth N10.8 million, gold worth N120 million “under the false pretences to help me boost, develop my business and rebrand my financial status and repertoire”.

As of the time of filing this report, Oba Adekeye Adeyemi has not responded to the allegations.

He did not answer multiple phone calls and has yet to react to a follow-up message.

Sahara Reporters

The Department of State Services, DSS, has arrested a former House of Representatives member for the Dekina/Bassa federal constituency, Comrade Usman Okai Austin.

Activist politician, Omoyele Sowore disclosed that DSS operatives, in a gestapo manner, picked up Okai from his residence on Wednesday.

Posting on X, Sowore said Okai was arrested for expressing views against Governor Usman Ododo of Kogi State.

Okai has been very vocal against the alleged ills of Ododo’s administration.

Recently, Okai charged Ododo to curb what he described as the “unchecked and excessive powers” of the state’s Accountant General, Habiba Onumoko.

Okai accused the accountant general of overstepping her constitutional role, alleging financial mismanagement and undue interference in governance.

He said the accountant generals “cabal has taken over” Ododo’s administration.

Following the death of its leader, pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, has appointed a new leader: Oba Oladipo Olaitan.

A communique issued after its monthly general meeting at the country home of Adebanjo in Isanya Ogbo, Ogun state, confirmed this.

The communique of the meeting, attended by delegates from the six South West states, Kogi, Kwara, and Delta States, which was signed by its Secretary General, Chief Sola Ebiseni and it’s National Publicity Secretary, Justice Faloye, said: “Oba Olaitan will function as the Leader in acting capacity till after the final burial of Papa Ayo Adebanjo when he will assume the office as substantive Leader.”

It said: “Oba Olaitan was called to the Nigerian Bar as a lawyer in 1971, a Political Adviser to Governor Lateef Jakande and a member of the Lagos State Executive Council 1979-1983; elected Member House of Representatives and Leader of AD in the House 1999-2003.

“He has been a member of Afenifere for over 45 years serving in various capacities including the National Financial Secretary under the leadership of Chief Reuben Fasoranti and Deputy Leader under Chief Ayo Adebanjo.”

In his acceptance speech, Oba Olaitan said he is “committed to the ideals of Afenifere as a social-political organisation and unrelenting advocate of restructuring and true federalism adding that he would ensure the unity of the organisation”.