By Cyriacus Izuekwe

The police detectives at State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, Panti in Lagos, have arrested a pastor and charged him at the Ebute Meta Magistrate’s court with alleged involvement in a N1.2 million fake spiritual healing oil.

Pastor Samson Onyeka, of an unidentified church, allegedly obtained the money from one of his church members, Mrs Temitope Akinbowale to procure her a bottle of anointed oil from abroad to cure her aged mother from undisclosed sickness.

The incident happened at Ikola road in Ikola Ipaja where the victim resides and the church was located.

The victim approached Onyeka to express her worries over her mother’s sickness and her desire to have her healed.

Onyeka promised that he would pray and ask God to heal her.

He also asked her to bring the money to buy holy anointed oil from Israel which will heal her automatically.

After the victim paid the money, he gave her the so called anointed oil for automatic healing and asked her to administer to the mother until she was healed.

He promised her that the oil would heal her mother within a space of time because of the spiritual power behind it.

However, the oil failed to cure the woman. Even worse, the woman’s illness became more complicated, after her medicine had been abandoned for spiritual oil.

When the victim realized that she had been defrauded, she went to Onyeka and asked for a refund.

Onyeka instead demanded more money to procure yet another oil and promised her that the ailment would be healed at the end.

The healing seeking woman refused to be a sucker punch the second time and wrote a petition to the police.

Onyeka was arrested for interrogation.

During the investigation, the police discovered that the oil was fake and was even harmful to human health.

He was charged with obtaining and stealing under the Criminal code.

When he was arraigned, he pleaded not guilty.

The presiding Magistrate, Mrs M.O. Ope-agbe granted him bail in the sum of N200,000 with two sureties in like sum.

He was remanded in prison custody at Ikoyi pending when he will perfect his bail condition.

The matter was adjourned till 4 May 2016.