Kunle Adelabu & Wale Jagun
The investment on the Local Joint Task force (LJTF) operatives by the Ikorodu Division Peace Initiative Limited/GTE (IDPIL/GTE), especially in the area of intelligence gathering for the Nigeria Police and other conventional security bodies in Ikorodu Division, has started paying off.
The new security architecture last Thursday apprehended two Hausas who attempted to use their uncle and brother for money rituals, after about a week of gathering intelligence and playing along with them.
Hellock Methusella, a 17 year-old native of Saminaka, Kaduna State and a former student of Effective International College, Kaduna and Ibrahim Daniel, a 26 year-old native of Gombe in Adamawa State who only attended school up to the Primary six level, are the suspects who are nabbed by the LJTF operatives.
THE IMPACT gathered that Hellock and Ibrahim had approached an herbalist in an area (name of the herbalist and exact location withheld) in Ikorodu West Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Ikorodu Division of Lagos, Southwest, Nigeria, for money rituals.
Unknown to the suspects, the herbalist is working with the security operatives but he made them feel secured and assured them that he would help them with the money ritual. The said herbalist then alerted the LJTF Command, Akogun Lanre Olabinjo, and asked him to come around and arrest them.
Instead of arresting them, the LJTF Commander who joined the herbalist and the two Hausa men, pretended that he was the senior herbalist that the herbalist had called to help him with the rituals.
He then asked them to ascertain if they are truly ready for the money ritual and would be able to produce human beings that they will use. The culprits, THE IMPACT gathered, had answered in affirmation.
While Hellock pledged to use his uncle who is in Kaduna, Ibrahim pledged to use his own brother, one Dali Daniel who is in Adamawa.
Akogun Olabinjo, who said that he carefully asked the criminals to bring their victims, told our reporter that he insisted that the two persons that they have nominated to use for the money ritual must be brought alive and without any form of injury if the rituals were to be carried out.
Few days after their visit, the two culprits reportedly returned to the herbalist precisely on Monday, March 14, 2022, to tell the herbalists that Hellock would not be able to bring his uncle down from Kaduna because the man said that he cannot make it to Lagos, but that Ibrahim had invited his own brother from Adamawa and would arrive same week.
It was gathered that Dali, who was of the same parents with Ibrahim, was told that they have secured a job for him in Lagos.
On Thursday, March 17, Hellock and Ibrahim took their victim who had arrived Lagos, to the herbalists for the money ritual, not suspecting that they were walking into a trap.
After welcoming them, the LJTF Commander, who was in charge as the senior herbalist, asked the two to reconfirm in the presence of their victim, Dali, what they brought him to do which they did, but he could not hear or speak English or broken English.
On realizing this, another operative, who is fluent in Hausa, was asked to translate what Hellock and Ibrahim said to him, and on hearing that, Dali immediately said that it can never be possible.
In a video recording of the Hollywood-like scene, Ibrahim was asked to confirm his mission to his brother which he did in Hausa language and at that point, Dali became startled and jumped over his assailants, pushed away an operative standing at the entrance and ran for his dear life.
Unknown to him, other operatives stationed at strategic locations stopped and calmed him down and assured that he would not be harmed.
It was at this point that Hellock and Ibrahim were apprehended and taken to the Onyabo vigilance team’s headquarters at Ireshe for further interrogation.
Speaking with THE IMPACT, Ibrahim Daniel, a resident of Ajose street in Ibeshe who had been I living in Ikorodu for about a year engaging in commercial motorbike riding, said that he was introduced to the money ritual by Hellock.
He said that Hellock, who came to Lagos about two weeks ago, was working in Lekki before coming to Ikorodu to stay with him when they both agreed to do more rituals, and added that he has been exposed to life of affluence in Lekki.
He said further that Hellock assured him that there would be no problem and that after they make money, they would go back to Lekki where he was working to buy houses and cars and live affluent lives.
Ibrahim confirmed that he invited his brother to Lagos to use him for a money ritual.
Hellock Methusellah confirmed that he initiated the move for them to get rich quickly and that he intended to use his uncle whom he alleged of being a wizard who is planning to kill him and his siblings.
He also said that he got his mother’s blessing to kill his uncle first before he would kill him.
Hellock, who said that poverty led him into the money ritual, denied influencing Ibrahim, stating that he explained everything to him and that he voluntarily decided to use his brother for the ritual.
He also said that Ibrahim followed him to the herbalist on his own free will.
Their victim, Dali Daniel, who spoke with our reporter through an interpreter, said that he’s a farmer and that he has not done anything bad to his brother but assisted him and other siblings.
He said he would inform their parents of the development and go back to Adamawa as soon as possible.
The LJTF Commander, Akogun Lanre Olabinjo, speaking briefly with THE IMPACT, said that he played along with the criminals to establish if they were serious about the money ritual and gather necessary information that would help in their prosecution. He added that if the two culprits had been arrested without good intelligence gathering, they would have been released in no time and probably go to another herbalist for the money ritual.
He further told THE IMPACT that the suspects would be handed over to the police after investigation has been concluded, for their prosecution.
