Signs of the end-time which scriptures prophesied may have started manifesting going by the nefarious activities of supposed men of God, who are now turning people away from the house of God. TUNDE BUSARI reports

Some call him Alfa, while to others, he is an herbalist. Regardless of his true identity, the late Angela Uzo Kery, a retired Customs officer, reposed so much confidence in Alhaji Olatunji  Azeez as her hope of having at least a child of her own.

On account of this, she would stop at nothing to heed whatever advice Azeez offered her. Azeez was more or less next to God in her reckoning.

Saturday Newswach gathered that the woman had entrusted all the documents of her landed properties at Omole, Oko-Oba and Ajah with him, after which he sold them at N75 million, N120 million and N180 million respectively.

It was based on this cordiality that she eventually fell flat into the death pit Azeez had dug for her. He allegedly buried the woman alive alongside her adopted daughter. He buried the duo right in his compound.

He has confessed to the crime, claiming that his action followed a threat by the deceased who had asked him to refund the N9 million she had earlier paid him for spiritual assistance that could make her pregnant.

“After some months without result, she came to my place to complain. She then demanded a refund, but I told her that I could not repay it. She then began to threaten me. Within a month, I tried to repay N2.5 millio. On May 17, she came for the remaining N6.5 million.

“She came with her daughter. She said as a retired Customs officer, she could kill me if I didn’t pay back the money. Then, I thought of the need to kill this woman before she kills me. That was how it happened,” he said at the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Ikeja, Lagos.

It was also learnt that another Alfa, Yusuf Adeleke, was detained by the Police Special Fraud Unit, (SFU) over an alleged fraud running to N8 million.

Yusuf’s arrest followed a petition by his victim who alleged that in March, 2013, he took a loan facility of N8 million to purchase a truck to facilitate his business.

“Having confidence in the clergy who happens to be his childhood friend, he approached him for prayer and blessing for the success of the business venture. The suspect commended his wisdom and instructed that he should bring the money for seven days’ most befitting special prayers by him as an Allah.

“The complainant obeyed as instructed and gave the N8 million to the so-called Alfa,  only to come back after seven days to discover that the Alfa had relocated to Ilorin and switched off all his contact,” a statement by Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of SFU, Ngozi Isintume-Agu, stated.

The police said the suspect admitted that he sold a dummy to the desperate victim by trickking him into believing that he could double the money.

“He admitted that he used part of the money to buy cars and complete his building in Ilorin, Kwara State, while he shared the balance among his fellow Alfas in Ila-Orangun in Osun State. However, he pleaded for mercy and promised to refund the whole money collected,” the PPRO stated.

Alfa Muideen Bilau is neither a murderer nor fraudster in the class of Azeez and Adeleke. His is alleged reckless sexual urge, which made a three-year-old an attraction to him inside a mosque located at a 59, Obajimi St., Egan, Lagos.

The sacredness of the mosque meant nothing to Bilau when he seduced the innocent girl who accompanied her mother to the mosque, removed her pant, covered her mouth and forced himself into the little girl. However, the girl exposed Bilau to her mother and he became a police guest, after which an Abule Egba Magistrates’ Court remanded him at the Kirikiri Maximum prison.

Although the 35-year-old pleaded not guilty to the two-count charge of sexual assault by penetration and engaging in sexual activity without consent, the prosecutor, Racheal Williams had told the court that the offence contravened Sections 259 and 263(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

As it is among Muslim clerics, so it is among pastors with the arraignment of Pastor Basil Princewill, the general overseer of the Mountain Movers Fire Ministries International, Nyanya, Abuja, before an Abuja Chief Magistrate Court.

The pastor was alleged to have in July 2011 had carnal knowledge of two young members of his church during a prayer session in his church. But the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) got wind of the matter and prosecuted him.

Also, one Pastor Philips Ogbebor, was paraded by the Edo State Police Command in Benin City for allegedly having sex with a 20-year-old male. The helpless victim is a member of his church (names withheld).

The victim claimed that the pastor had taken advantage of him with a threat of killing him if he let the cat out of the bag. He, however, broke his silence when it dawned on him that he had been turned into a sex machine by his pastor.

“I met a man of God to pray for me that God should forgive me and that I am ready to expose it since he forced me. Thereafter, I went to the church and told the congregation about the act. When he heard it, he threatened me by sending his younger brother and members of his gang after me. Since then I have been running,” the victim said.

Police Public Relations Officer of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FEDSARS), Lekan Ogundare,a Deputy Superintendent of Police, said religion and crime are two distinct social issues which should not be confused. He urged the public to be conscious of those who claim to be men of God with hidden intention of taking advantage of their obedience to faith.

“It has got to a stage you don’t even know who to trust. So, people should open their eyes wide so that they don’t end up in the trap of wolves. It is indeed a social problem, despite the number of churches and mosques we have in this country. But the truth of the matter is that the higher the population, the higher the crime rate. But as law enforcement agent we have been up and doing by prosecuting those people whose matters are reported,” Ogundare said.