A Nigerian woman based in the UK has accused a traditional ruler, Oba Adekeye Adeyemi Olanrewaju, the Abepa of Joga Orile in Yewa North, Ogun State, of using marriage as a scheme to defraud her of money and valuables worth hundreds of millions of naira.
Identified as Christy Oluwabunmi, the woman alleged that the monarch took advantage of her trust, leading to significant financial losses.
Speaking to SaharaReporters, she claimed that the monarch even assisted her in obtaining a falsified divorce certificate to separate from her former husband so he could marry her.
“Kabiyesi went to forge a divorce certificate for me to leave my husband and also took me to the court registry to formalise my marriage with him.
“It was later I realised this is his usual way of deceiving women. In fact, it was later I knew no fewer than five women were once his victims. He always preyed on wealthy ones like me,” she told the news outlet over the phone.
She filed formal petitions to several authorities, including the Osun and Ondo State Governors, the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Inspector General of Police, the Director General of the State Security Service (SSS), and the Chairman of the Ogun Council of Obas. In the documents, Ms. Oyewole detailed how Adekeye Adeyemi approached her on June 30, 2022, with romantic gestures, promising marriage and financial support.
“He pretended to be in love with me, vowing to marry me and support my business. Eventually, I was manipulated into transferring over N53 million via electronic transactions, N12 million in cash, mobile phones worth N10.8 million, and gold valued at N120 million,” she wrote in her petition, attaching receipts as proof.
She further alleged that after taking advantage of her financially, the traditional ruler tried to lure her into a suspicious ritual in Ekiti State. There, she was reportedly told that she needed to sacrifice either an eye or a leg in order to attain financial prosperity.
Upon realizing she was being deceived, she refused to comply. However, by then, she had already suffered financial ruin and was left abandoned.
In a shocking disclosure, she claimed that the monarch had not only forged a divorce judgment for her but had also carried out similar fraudulent schemes on at least three other women.
When she confronted him and demanded repayment of her money and valuables, he allegedly responded with threats to her life, boasting about his influence and connections to cultists and thugs.
“He has converted my hard-earned money, gold, phones, and valuables to his personal use unlawfully. All efforts to retrieve them have proved abortive. Instead, he threatens to kill me, claiming nothing will happen because he is a king,” she alleged.
In her petition, she detailed, “That one Adekeye Adeyemi Olanrewaju approached me on 30th day of June, 2022 with a confidence trick, pretended to be romantically interested in me when he claimed and vowed that he would marry me being a single mother struggling alone to cater for myself and children without husband.
“It was thereafter revealed to me that the suspect has been using same style to defraud single women who are blessed with wealth. The suspect had used the similar criminal style to defraud three different ladies who were later threatened to be killed if the matters were reported to the law enforcement agencies.”
She claimed that she was hypnotized to the point where she ended up being defrauded of more than N53 million through electronic transfers, N12 million in cash, mobile phones valued at N10.8 million, and gold worth N120 million. This, she said, was under the false pretense that he would help her expand and improve her business, as well as enhance her financial status.
As of the time of this report, Oba Adekeye Adeyemi has not provided any response to the allegations.
He did not answer multiple phone calls and has not yet reacted to a follow-up message.
