A self-proclaimed prophet, Ezekiel Onikoyi, has been sentenced to two weeks in prison for stealing a woman’s handbag after deceiving her with a fake prophecy.
Onikoyi, 39, was convicted by a Magistrate’s Court in Ibadan for stealing, obtaining money under false pretences, and conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace.
The incident occurred on March 14 at the Old Toll Gate on the Ibadan-Lagos Expressway.
According to the prosecutor, Sergeant Samuel Owolabi, Onikoyi posed as a prophet and approached Mrs. Balikis Adeoti, who was returning from work.
Claiming to have a divine revelation, he instructed her to drop her handbag and walk to a junction to pray, leaving N100 at the spot to solve her supposed problems.
When Adeoti followed the instruction, Onikoyi fled with her handbag, which contained a phone, a power bank worth N220,000, and N4,000 in cash.
While the power bank was later recovered, the phone remained missing.
Magistrate Gladys Oladele found Onikoyi guilty and sentenced him to two weeks in prison at the Agodi Correctional Centre.
She also ordered the return of the stolen power bank to the victim.
However, the convict was given the option of serving a one-month community service instead of jail time.