A man is currently being held in police custody for allegedly defrauding a woman of her money and sleeping with her under false pretense.
The suspect, Ifatade Elegbeleye
The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a native doctor, Ifatade Elegbeleye, for allegedly duping and impregnating a female client, Cecilia (pseudonym), in the Ipaja area of the state.
PUNCH Metro learnt that 42-year-old Elegbeleye, who hails from Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, was arrested by the X-Squad section of the command after the victim complained to the police.
The suspect was said to have been arrested on December 21, 2015. Elegbeleye, who told a correspondent that he had s*x with the lady, added that he and the woman fell in love with each other, while the s*x was by mutual consent.
Elegbeleye added that the victim had given birth to a baby girl for him. According to the police, the native doctor allegedly had a culture of turning his female clients into house maids after having sex with some of them.
The police added that Cecilia’s mother, who is a trader in Abesan Estate, Ipaja, had also been allegedly defrauded by the native doctor to the tune of N7.9m in 2015. Cecilia was taken to Elegbeleye in November 2014, to seek spiritual help on issues bordering on late marriage and spiritual husband.
It was learnt that Elegbeleye, who had his centre at Olude bus stop in the Ipaja area, however, allegedly took advantage of the situation to impregnate Cecilia, as well as dupe the family.
The police alleged that the native doctor had built two houses, one in Lagos and the other in Ekiti State, from the proceeds of the fraud.
Speaking with PUNCH Metro, Cecilia, said she met the native doctor at a bus stop on an evening in November 2014, adding that he allegedly hypnotised her into having an affair with him.
She said: “I met him as a cab driver at the Iyana Ipaja Roundabout. We never knew that the man was a fraudster and was into occultism. He first became friendly with my mother. After that, one thing led to another until he sexually assaulted me and defrauded my mother.”
However, Elegbeleye told Punch that there was no truth in Cecilia’s claims, adding that after she gave birth to a child for him, he rented a two-bedroomed apartment for her.
He said, “It is true that I am a native doctor and I treated her for ulcer and spiritual problems. She had a spiritual husband. She was having ‘promise and fail offer’ from men. So, we started befriending each other and in the process, she got pregnant for me.
“The woman now brought policemen to my house to arrest me. She has a girl for me. I did not use force to sleep with her. Can you hypnotise a woman who does not love you? It is not possible. She loved me. Her family wants to take all my property. That is why they are lying against me. Where did they get the N7m they are claiming? Are they rich?”
A police source said Cecelia’s child was living with the victim’s parents in Abesan Estate.
“The suspect had been in the Kirikiri Prison on remand bordering on a similar offence. It was when he came out that we arrested him for this case. He took advantage of the lady’s problems to have s*x with her and she became pregnant and had a girl for him. The girl is with the victim’s family. We are investigating the native doctor for a case of conspiracy, stealing and s*xual harassment,” the police source said.
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmus, confirmed the arrest.