A businessman, Kunle Akinbo, has told a Samuel Ilori Magistrate’s Court, Ogbà, Lagos, how his friend, Joel Oladipupo, allegedly defrauded him of the sum of N9m.

Akinbo also claimed that Oladipupo, a pastor, used charms to attack him when he demanded his money.

The defendant stood trial before Magistrate S.O. Obasa on Monday for allegedly failing to fulfil a contract agreement he had with Akinbo.

The prosecutor, Koye Olusegun, led the complainant in evidence before the court.

Akinbo said there was a strong competition over the sale of property which Oladipupo was interested in.

He said, “Oladipupo said I should do everything in my power to get the property. I called the younger brother of the owner of the property, Tony Akoko, to meet me at Oladipupo’s office. The property was worth 40m. He said if we got the property for him, he would give us 10 per cent of the 40m.”

Akinbo told the court that they got the property for Oladipupo but he refused to pay the N4m commission.

The complainant said, “Some weeks later, he gave the agent I brought, Adesina Joseph, N300,000. Anytime I requested our N4m, he would threaten to kill me and make me disappear.”

He noted that he wrote a petition to the Inspector-General of Police on July 7, 2021, because Oladipupo threatened to kill him and his children over the money.

Akinbo said, “I wrote the petition because of the money and some other secrets I know about him. He is a fake prophet, arranges fake miracles, and buries a lot of charms on the premises of his church.

“In February 2017, he invited me and my wife to a programme called Bojuwomi in Ibadan. We finished the programme around 8pm and he said I shouldn’t go to Lagos that night again. He took me and my wife to his house. That night, I caught him with a cow horn, àse, with a bottle of Schnapps. Around 1am, he said I should go and sleep in the visitors’ room because he wanted to discuss with my wife.”

The witness claimed that Oladipupo used spiritual powers that caused him to suffer road accidents on different occasions, as he showed scars of injuries he sustained.

The businessman told the court that the defendant had also collected over N6m with the promise of buying property for him.

The witness accused Oladipupo of attempting to bribe and threatening other witnesses.

The defence counsel, A.B. Abioye, said he was not aware of the threats as he had warned his client not to associate with Akinbo and other witnesses for the time being.

“What the witness is saying is strange. I wouldn’t be in court if I heard that he (Oladipupo) was threatening witnesses,” he added.

The statements Oladipupo wrote at the police station were tendered and admitted in evidence.

Magistrate Obasa adjourned the matter till November 29 for continuation of trial. (The PUNCH: Text, excluding headline)

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