Police find naked bodies of traditional healer and client after ritual ‘to conjure up money’ goes horribly wrong
Herbal medicine is a major industry in Nigeria, but some services prove highly controversial
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Police in Nigeria say a herbalist and his client have been found dead, after a ritual designed “to conjure up money” appears to have gone disastrously wrong.
Oladele Bakare, 51, is reported to have visited a traditional healer in Ogun state, southwestern Nigeria, in order to take part in the money ritual.
According to Nigeria’s The Nation newspaper, Mr Bakare visited 60-year-old herbalist Kareemu Okeyode, and the pair locked themselves inside the healer’s “sacred room”.
Some time later, neighbours expressed concern that the ritual was not over and, unable to gain access to the healer’s house, called the police.
Acting police spokesman Abimbola Oyeyemi told The Nation the naked bodies of the pair were found in the room. He said it was “very likely that they died of suffocation in the room suffused with smoke of burning incense”.
While money rituals are a common motif in Nigerian cinema, they are a controversial subject and some question whether they are actually carried out in real life.
It is traditionally believed that the ritual must involve some form of animal of human sacrifice, and that while it will bring short term financial gain, the process will bring the person involved some form of unspecified “repercussions”.
Money rituals are among the more unusual services offered by some healers in rural Nigeria, where there is a robust industry in traditional herbal medicine.
Despite efforts from the Nigerian government to crack down on illegal herbal medicine facilities and drive people towards conventional forms of medicine, herbal sales of various kinds remain popular.
The National Association Of Nigerian Traditional Medicine Practitioners (NANTMP), meanwhile, seeks to distance its members from the kind of unlicensed herbalists who might offer services like money rituals.
Dr Tola Soyemi, who has written a book entitled Philosophy and Healing in Traditional Medicine, told the Tribune that unlicensed herbalists were giving traditional healers a bad name.
“Traditional medicine has been in existence from the Stone Age. It is still relevant in our daily life,” he said.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments