News Obiaks News

The Police in Lagos are currently investigating a native doctor, identified simply as Celestine, for allegedly burying a client who died while receiving treatment in his traditional  clinic. It was learned that on September 1, 2015, Nnamdi, a spare-parts dealer residing in Abuja called his business partner, Austin Ororporo, to inform him that he had been paralysed as a result of stepping on poison while entering his shop.

In an attempt to assist his colleague, Austin asked him to come down to Lagos, assuring him that he knew a native doctor that could heal him completely. It was gathered that Nnamdi reportedly travelled down to Lagos and lodged in White House hotel, located on Ijo road, Ajegunle, where the native doctor, Celestine, was coming to administer treatment.

However, trouble started a few days later when Celestine decided to take Nnamdi to his shrine for treatment when he wasn’t showing any sign of improvement. Nnamdi later died in his shrine on September 7, 2015.

It was learned that without notifying the Police or Nnamdi’s family of the incident, the native doctor proceeded to bury the victim after detaching his sim card and battery from his phone. Sensing foul play, the family of Nnamdi who had been sending money for his treatment through Austin’s bank account became suspicious when they couldn’t reach him on phone.

According to a relative of Nnamdi who spoke to newsmen, “when we couldn’t reach Nnamdi online, we knew all was not well and since we didn’t have his friend’s number or the native doctor’s number, we decided to go to the bank where we have been sending money for our brothers treatment to make inquiry for the address of Austin who introduced him to the native doctor. After explaining to them, they gave us Austin’s address. It was the address that we used to locate Austin at Ojo road.”

In his defence, Austin said: “I am a spare-parts dealer in Ladipo market, reside in Owoyeni Street on Ojo road in Ajegunle. Nnamdi is my business partner, also dealing in spare parts but resides in Abuja. Usually, he sends money to me to help him buy spare parts and send to him in Abuja. On September 1, he called to say that he stepped on poison and was now paralysed. I told him about a native doctor who can heal him of his affiliations, so he came to Lagos and lodged.

“Initially, the native doctor was coming to the hotel to treat him but when Nnamdi did not show any positive response to the treatment he was receiving, the native doctor decided that Nnamdi should be taken to the shrine for further treatment. It was at his shrine that he died. I am innocent, I only wanted to help.

“I don’t know why the native doctor went ahead to bury Nnamdi without informing his family”. The case which was initially reported to Layeni Divisional Police has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Yaba, for further investigations.