A self-acclaimed pastor, Alimi Isaiah, who claims to be the founder of the C&S Idapomimo Zion, located at Alagbado, Lagos, has been caught with a dry skull, a buffalo horn and charms.
He was arrested by operatives of the Federal Highway patrol of the Oyo State Police command during a routine stop and search. The 55-year old suspect, who was dressed in long white robe was caught around 10:30 pm on Thursday on his way to another branch of the church at Imini, via Ijaiye in Afijio Local Government of of Oyo State.
While being paraded alongside other suspected criminals at the Oyo State Police Headquarters, Eleyele, Ibadan, yesterday, by the State Commissioner of Police, Mr Abiodun Odude, Isaiah confessed that all the items including gun powder, one Nissan Primera car with registration number APP 379 EP and other charms were found on him.
The CP said, in the last two weeks, we have been able to to arrest 12 armed robbery suspects, three cultists, suspected ritualist in possession of human skull and two thieves. Other items recovered include 12 arms, 106 ammunition, eight vehicles and 14 phones. Asked why he had the human skull and charms in his possession, Alimi Isaiah said: “Some residents of Imini at Ijaiye, Oyo State begged me to help them check incessant robbery attacks in the area, which forced seven villages to be deserted. When they came to me, I went to one old man, who advised me to get a human skull and other items that would be buried in the area to keep the robbers away. My church is at Alagbado area of Lagos. All I wanted to do was just to bury these items.”
How he was caught Narrating how he got into the acts, he said he was a son of a herbalist and that he took over his father’s job. “My dad is a juju man (herbalist). I was going to Ijaiye when some policemen stopped me. They searched my bag and found this sheet of paper which contains my spiritual notes on how to use charms. They were reading it and I told them they had no right to be reading my notes. It was then they said they would take me to their station. My reaction prompted them to search other items in my bag. Then, all these items were discovered,” he said. Asked the relationship between his title as a pastor and charms and skull found on him, the suspect who called himself “father of Jesus” said he actually wanted to use the skull and the charms to help his clients. Also paraded was a robbery gang that allegedly operated within Ibadan metropolis and other parts of the state. The CP said members of the gang invaded the home of a victim at 19 Kajola zone, Ayokale area, Ibadan and robbed him of his valuables at gun point. Responding to a distress call, Odude said police men from Ogbere Division stormed a criminal hideout at Olorunsogo area where a member of the gang was arrested with three arms concealed in a bag.