It’s
somewhat hard to believe but a well-known herbalist,
Emmanuel America, who lives in
Owhawha village
in Delta State has denied having
knowledge of the activities of armed robbers who patronize him.
Mr. America, who was arrested after he was accused of using supernatural
means to fortify men of the underworld against bullet shots and other
operational hazards.
America, 44, met his waterloo when a gang of arrested armed robbers led a crack
team of detectives to him as there ‘juju’ man.
Read the Tribune reports below:
The confessions of the trio, Mr Johnson Samuel Rarire (32), Mr Ovinne Ikwweki
(37) and Mr Garba Mohammed (23), after they were caught with a Honda CRV with
registration number BZ 115 RSH belonging to one Mrs Ekpesu Celestina, led to
the discovery and eventual arrest of the self-confessed herbalist.
Mr Johnson was the driver of the snatched jeep while Mr Ikpeki was a welder.
Both are from Delta State while Mr Mohammed hails from Zamfara State.
The jeep was reportedly snatched from Mrs Ekpesu at gun point along Chevron
Clinic Road, opposite DBS, Warri at about 6 p.m on March 1.
According to the police, during the parade of the suspects last Monday, Mrs
Ekpesu’s 18-year-old son struggled with one of the robbers, but was lucky not
to have been shot by the gun-carrying bandits. The boy received much beatings
for daring the robbers than Mrs Ekepsu, who was also manhandled.
Mr America, while speaking with journalists, claimed he was not part of the
gang, but head of his village’s vigilance group. “It was a surprise o. It was
somebody that involved me in this nonsense o,” he said.
The suspect, who was all tears, claimed that a boy that he knew about two
weeks came to inform him that he was eased of his job and that he should help
him restore it through his magical powers.
“I just did some herbs that I mixed together, the one used to protect oneself
from gunshots and dagger wounds. When I did the medicine, I warned them that if
they use it to do any bad thing, they are on their own,” the herbalist
narrated.
When asked what the charm could do, Mr America, said “it’s just that when
somebody shoots you with gun, the bullet will not enter your body. That was the
medicine I did for them.”
He denied that he was aware of what they wanted to use the charm for,
warning his fellow herbalists to be wary of concocting charms for unknown
customers.
Mohammed said he only joined the gang on January 23 and did so to eke some
living, given the economic hardship in the country. “I know what they were
doing but they said I should join them and get some money, so that I can get a
house to stay because where I lived was not good enough,”
Mohammed, who had been in Warri for 10 years,
lamented.
