A self-proclaimed prophet, Ezekiel Onikoyi, has been sentenced to two weeks in prison after tricking a woman into leaving her handbag behind and vanishing with her valuables in Ibadan.
The 39-year-old, who posed as a man of God, was convicted by an Ibadan Magistrate’s Court for defrauding Mrs. Balikis Adeoti, at the Old Toll Gate along the Ibadan-Lagos Expressway on March 14.
Prosecutor, Sgt. Samuel Owolabi, told the court that Onikoyi approached Adeoti under the guise of delivering a divine revelation. He convinced her to drop her handbag and step aside for prayers, instructing her to leave a N100 note at the spot for “spiritual cleansing.”
“She complied in good faith, believing he was a genuine prophet, only to return and find her handbag gone,” Owolabi explained. The bag contained a mobile phone, a power bank valued at N220,000, and N4,000 in cash.
Onikoyi was later apprehended, but only the power bank was recovered. He pleaded guilty to charges of stealing, obtaining by false pretenses, and conduct likely to cause a breach of peace.
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Presiding Magistrate, Miss Gladys Oladele, sentenced him to two weeks in prison at Agodi Correctional Centre. However, he was given an option to serve one month of community service instead.
The court also ordered the return of the recovered power bank to Adeoti.
