As various reactions trail the trending visual of the majority leader of Osun State House of Assembly, Hon Timothy Owoeye in a nude posture over alleged involvement in ritual, the Osun State Commissioner of Police, Mr Fimihan Adeoye, on Sunday said the lawmaker was a victim of fraudsters.

The visual, which showed the picture of Owoeye stark naked indicated that he was allegedly caught by some local vigilante operatives along Osunjela axis, which is closer to Ilesa, in Osun State.

Impeccable sources informed our correspondent that lawmaker, representing Ilesa East State constituency was allegedly duped by some swindlers few years back in his bid to secure second term in the state legislature.

According to one of the sources, who pleaded anonymity, the alleged fraudsters were said to have requested Owoeye to stash a sum of N10 million in a wooden box and also provided another empty wooden box for the supposed rituals.

However, while speaking over the incident during a telephone chat with TribuneOnline in Osogbo, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Adeoye stated that the trending video was not fresh, adding that Owoeye was only a victim of some swindlers, who duped him, just as he said the fraudsters were already in prison custody.

He said, “God will help Nigeria and Nigerians. That man is a victim of fraudsters. He, unfortunately, played into the hands of fraudsters, who defrauded him of a huge sum of money and later tricked him into that place in a way of getting something and to continually blackmail him, with a view to getting more money from him.”

“It is not as if he was there to do any ritual. We have arrested some of them (fraudsters) and they have been charged to court. We even recovered about N10 million from them out of the money they swindled the man off. Whatever is trending is not the truth. That fellow is a victim of fraudsters.”

When asked that the alleged fraud he was talking about regarding Owoeye occurred a few years back, Adeoye stated “that is what I am telling you now that this very one is not fresh. If something that was recorded 10 years ago is being circulated now, would it still not look fresh. The man is a victim of fraudsters and the fraudsters have been arrested. They have been charged to court and they are in prison custody.

•Text (excluding headline) sourced from a Tribune report

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