The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has announced plans to arraign five herbalists arrested at different shrines in Lagos and Osun states over the alleged possession of counterfeit foreign currencies totalling about $3.4 million and €280,000.
In a statement released on Wednesday via its official Facebook page, the anti-graft agency said the arrests followed a petition alleging that the suspects defrauded a victim, identified as Halima Sanni, of N26 million.
According to the EFCC, the suspects allegedly specialised in deceiving members of the public by presenting themselves as spiritual healers capable of offering cleansing rituals and supernatural solutions to personal and financial problems.
The commission explained that the suspects claimed they possessed mystical powers to generate foreign currencies, which they said required spiritual purification through sacrifices before the money could be spent.
Victims were allegedly hypnotised into releasing funds to finance these supposed rituals.
The statement identified the suspects as Akingbola Omotayo, Adeola Funsho Ogunrinde, Yahaya Amodu, Kubratu Babalola Olaitan, and Familola Sunday Olaitan.
They were arrested on December 7 and 8, 2025, at their respective shrines following sustained surveillance and intelligence-led operations in both states.
Investigations, the EFCC said, revealed that the suspects allegedly fleeced unsuspecting individuals of their hard-earned money under the guise of spiritual cleansing and treatment for various ailments.
During the operations, operatives recovered several items, including two exotic vehicles and mobile phones, believed to be linked to the alleged criminal activities.
The EFCC stated that the suspects would be charged to court once investigations are concluded.
