Mrs Evelyn Agu walked into the
Lagos State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, Yaba, alongside several
other visitors who had come for various reasons ranging from effecting the
release of their detained relatives to submitting petitions, but her look reveal
that all was not well with her.
What drew the attention of a Vanguard reporter was her exclamation of, “ eh, not again!,
after a man, later discovered to be her relation shook his head, apparently in
response to a question she asked. Using her left hand to move a black nylon in
order to create a space, she sat on the
bare floor folding her arms and shaking
her head intermittently.
The mother of three state of
confusion was soon found to have been caused by the mysterious disappearance of
her husband, Emmanuel Agu , since February , 2015.
Agu, a native of Orlu, Imo
State, reportedly drove his Honda Odyssey vehicle with Lagos number plate GZ
143 EKY, from his Oko-Ado, in Sango Tedo area of Ajah, Lagos residence, with a
cock in his hand. Destination was said to be the home of a herbalist, at Abijo,
Ibeju-Lekki. Time was 8pm. Since then,
he has neither been seen nor any word heard from him. Efforts to reach him on
his mobile telephone proved abortive as it was switched off. His car has not been found either.
‘Meeting with herbalist’
Explaining how her husband met the herbalist, a
national of Benin Republic identified as Kehinde Balogun , 35-year-old Mrs Agu
said: “ On January 28, 2015, my husband took his car to the mechanic for
repairs at about 12.30pm. He came back with a man he introduced to me as Mr
Kehinde Balogun. They went inside, discussed and he drove Balogun back to his house.
My husband returned with a
five-litre keg of agbo(concoction ).
He disclosed that the discussion he had with Balogun was how he
(husband) could secure a job, adding that Balogun was a herbalist. He said
Balogun requested for N12,000 which would be used to buy a goat and things
needed to carry out some ‘spiritual work’ that would enable him get a job. In
addition, he said Balogun requested
for N3,000 transport fare.
“ Next day (January 29), my
husband left home to give Balogun the
money . But when he came back, he said he did not give him everything as
he used part of the money to buy fuel and that Balogun could not buy the goat
because it was already late to start
the ‘spiritual work’.
“Three days later (February 1)
, Balogun called my husband on phone, informing him that
he won’t be able to come that day because he did not finish his masquerade activities
on time. He promised to come the following day which was Monday”.
“The distraught wife went on:
“A about 8pm on Monday, February 2, 2015, my husband and I were in my shop when
his phone rang. The caller was Balogn. I overheard him asking Balogun if he
should come with the cock . When he hung
up, he went inside, brought a cock , put it inside a black and white striped
nylon and informed me he was going to Balogun’s place.
“Moments later, he called me on
phone to say we should hasten up and
close for the day , that he was on his way back home with a keg of kerosene he bought”.
Apprehension sets in
But she waited endlessly for
her husband to show up. Apprehension set in after efforts to reach the husband
on the phone to find out the cause of the delay proved abortive, as his phone
was switched off. The clock ticked away, signifying the dawn of another
day without the usual hooting of his horn to announce his arrival.
The next day, the wife
contacted one Kingsley whom she
said introduced her husband to the
‘herbalist’ in order to get the latter’s telephone number. But the response she
got from him (herbalist) heightened her already tensed mood.
Continuing, she said : “ Balogun told me he did not understand what I
was saying and switched off his phone. I
called Kingsley to inform him about the development and begged him to either
take me to Balogun’s place or described it to me. I went there on my own on February 3, 2015
and he insisted he did not see my
husband. He also denied calling my husband the previous day .
“ I became suspicious and at
the same time afraid for my husband’s life . I reported the matter at Ajah
Police Division and requested that my husband’s call log be cross-checked from
the network provider. When it was
checked, we discovered that Balogun was the last caller and the time of his call read 8.40pm. Till date, I have not seen my husband nor his light brown Honda Odyssey he drove
in”.
Balogun was arrested by
policemen at Ajah but was later released. Determined to find her husband with
the help of the police, Mrs Agu went to the SCID, where detectives at D14
apprehended the ‘herbalist’ again. So
far , detectives were said to have
searched mortuaries, hospitals and police stations in Lagos State without luck.
However preliminary
investigation according to police sources, revealed that Balogun might not be a herbalist afterall, as the Association
of Traditional Medicine
Practitioners reportedly denied him as its member. Detectives also
allegedly discovered that the certificate of association he hung in his room
was forged.
In this interview with Sunday
Vanguard , the 36 year-old suspect, married to a Nigerian, maintained that he
knew nothing about missing Agu. He admitted to have collected N6,000 from him
but clarified that it was not meant for goat as claimed by the complainant.
Balogun said : “ I met the man
through a man who came for spiritual work . When he took me to his place, he
showed me two calabashes with cowries , a white handkerchief and liqiud
substance suspected to be gin. He told me it was prepared for him by a herbalist
.
“He is diabetic and the money
he paid was for preparation of a concoction to cure it. He is still owing me
N6,000. When he called to ask if he should come over to my place, I told him to
come with my balance and the keg with which I prepared the concoction but he said he did not have money .
“ I was so shocked when his
wife later called to say she wanted to speak with her husband. Since I do not
understand English language very well because I am from Cotonou, I gave the phone to my wife . My wife explained
to her that I don’t admit people in the
house because she can not be attending
to ailing persons .
“That is how I found myself
here. I am not into divination. I only prepare concoction for ailments. Some of
my friends who have looked into the spiritual realm said the missing man is
alive and well. Some even said he fled with people’s money. Since I started
this work, I have never been involved in matters like this”
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