Man loses N8m to fake muslim cleric



Though Isiaka Yusufu Adeleke holds an Ordinary National Diploma (OND) certificate in Business Administration from the Kwara State Polytechnic, Offa, he seems not believe in toiling for a living.

His desire to get rich quick, which led him into swindling people under the guise of being a Muslim cleric, has landed him in police custody.



His clients, according to sources, are people with various problems who seek his prayers for solutions. They include: People in dire need of quick money; those who want their money doubled; barren women; desperate visa applicants and Green Card seekers.

It was gathered that his victims paid between N200,000 and N400,000 for his services.

Luck ran against him recently when he attempted to defraud one of his friends of 50,000 dollars under the guise of attempting to “double” the money for him.

Adeleke was arrested by operatives of the Special Fraud Unit (SFU) of the Nigeria Police following a petition sent to the Commissioner of Police, Mr Tunde Ogunsakin, by the victim.

The victim alleged that sometime in March, he took a loan facility of N8million in dollars, with the intention to buy a truck to facilitate his business.

SFU’s spokesperson, Ngozi Isintume-Agu, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP), said: “Having trust in the clergyman, who was said to be his childhood friend, he approached him for prayer and blessing for business success. The suspect commended his wisdom and instructed that he should bring the money for seven-day special prayers to Allah.

“The complainant obeyed as instructed and gave the N8million to the so-called Alfa, only to come back after seven days to discover that the Alfa had relocated to Ilorin and switched off all his contact phone numbers.

The complainant further stated that the Alfa, under the pretence of selling a Lexus 300 car imported from USA to him, obtained additional N1.5million and later registered the said vehicle in his (Adeleke’s) name. He alleged that the total money he took from him is N9.5 million and that the suspect used his money to build a four-bedroom flat and bought two cars (Mercedes Benz/Toyota Camry) within five months.”

Ilorin, Kwara State-born Adeleke, 34, who is married with two wives and four children, has been arrested and police say he has made a useful statement.

Adeleke confessed that he tricked his friend into believing that he could double the money, adding that he instructed that the money be put in a “spiritual box” in the victim’s room, but unknown to him, he (Adeleke) had a spare key to the box.

The suspect also admitted that he used part of the money to buy cars and complete his building project in Ilorin, while he shared the balance among his accomplices – fellow fake Alfas based in Ila-Orangun, Osun State. He sought forgiveness and promised to refund the money.

On how he took the money from the box inside the suspect’s room, Adeleke said: “I went to his house and he was outside resting. After discussing with him for some minutes, I went inside. I was still talking with him from there until I got into the room where the money was kept. I opened the box and took the money.”

Adeleke claimed that a few days after he took the money from the box, the victim came to him and complained that the box was disturbing him. He said he advised him to throw the box into a big river, adding that he made him to believe that the money was still inside the box when it was thrown into the river.

Isintume-Agu said investigation is ongoing, adding that the suspect would be arraigned in court soon.

Ogunsakin, therefore, advised the public to be careful when seeking spiritual help from religious clerics, describing many of them as wolves in sheep’s clothing.
( Hide )

Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)

Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com

© Copyright © 2023 NigerianEye.com | Your Online Nigerian Newspaper | All Rights Reserved