According to an X post on Wednesday by the agency, the arrests, which took place on December 7 and 8, occurred at the suspects’ various shrines located in Osun and Lagos states after the group allegedly swindled a victim, identified as Halima Sanni, of N26,550,000.
The statement partly read, “Operatives of the Ibadan Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, have uncovered huge counterfeit foreign notes to the tune of $3, 430, 000 (Three Million, Four Hundred and Thirty Thousand United States Dollars) and €280, 000 (Two Hundred and Eighty Thousand Euros) in possession of a five-member syndicate arrested for allegedly swindling one Halima Sanni the sum of N26, 550, 000 (Twenty-Six Million, Five Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira).
“The herbalists: Akingbola Omotayo, Adeola Funsho Ogunrinde, Yahaya Amodu, Kubratu Babalola Olaitan (female) and Familola Sunday Olaitan, were arrested on December 7 and 8, 2025, at their shrines in Osun and Lagos States, respectively, following a thorough surveillance and intelligence on their fraudulent activities.”
Investigations by the anti-graft agency reportedly revealed that the syndicate targeted unsuspecting individuals by promising spiritual cleansing and solutions to various ailments.
“They also allegedly assured their victims of their powers to conjure several currency notes, which must be cleaned up by a genie through spiritual sacrifice before spending the money.
“They did all these by hypnotising their victims to provide money for the sacrifice,” the statement read.
In addition to the counterfeit money, the agency said other items recovered from them include two exotic cars and mobile phones.
The EFCC also confirmed that the suspects remain in custody and will be charged to court as soon as the ongoing investigations are concluded.
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