My encounter with Adelakun, MKO Abiola – Traditional priest who worships in church
Chibuzo Ihegboro
High Chief Okhue Iboi describes himself, as the spokesman for the association of seers. He is also a trado-medical practitioner. Many years ago, he was the spokesman for association of witches and wizards. Whatever nomenclature you use, he is with supernatural abilities and widely consulted over cure for ailments. Iboiis also known for his predictions.
In the course of his professional career as a seer, herbalist and trado-medical practitioner, he has travelled to many countries in Africa. These include Tanzania, Malawi, Uganda, Togo, Republic of Benin, Ethiopia and South Africa, among others. He has also been toIndia on a cross-cultural exchange programme.
In this interview with The Nigerian Xpress, Iboi, a high chief from Whepa-Wheno Kingdom in Edo State, talked about himself and threw some light on the world of the black craft.
How do we address you, sorcerer, witch-doctor, or herbalist?
I cure people of various ailments, be it stroke or barrenness or any other type of illness. When any ailment is brought before me, I will go into the bush, find the right leaf or herbs, and I will prepare for the person a concoction that will eliminate all toxins, spiritual or otherwise, from the body. I also divine for people. I foretell the future. I have a shrine inside my house here. It is a natural gift. I started, with stone, then cowries and later Orunmila’sopele.”
So what religion do you practice?
“I am a herbalist. I worship my God. Catholic is my church. But I was born with the knowledge of the curative power of herbs. As a small boy, I slept in a graveyard where unseen spirits fed me. Thereafter, I started curing sickness. So, I am a natural herbalist. But still, I worship God. I go to Catholic Church every Sunday.
By 6:30 am, I go for the morning Mass; by 10, I am back in the house. My wife and children go to Cherubim and Seraphim church – they attend all the services, including vigil. My father wasn’t a churchgoer. His name is Jonah Iboi, a great hunter of Okpe. But I like going to church since my childhood. Because other children around me were going to church, I followed them too.
How do you reconcile the orthodox religion with the occult?
God gave me this power, the power to use every leaf in the bush to cure ailments. If I refuse to worship him, God can get angry and take away the power from me.
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When did you become aware of your power?
It started to manifest in my childhood. Those years, when elders wanted to beat me or my peers tried to bully me, I would just vanish. I attended Orumi LA Primary School, Okpe, but when I began to manifest mystical action, the teachers accused me of doing magic and they drove me away.
They alleged that I was going to pollute the other pupils. Determined to be educated, I went to my father’s village, Otuo, to continue my education. But the situation, however, repeated itself. Chased out of school by the authority, I gave up schooling and I just faced my work.
How was your growing up different from that of a regular child?
Let me tell you of one incident. One day, when I was an infant, my mama took me to the farm and a big python came and cuddled up close to me. Scared out of her senses, my mother cried for help and people gathered, but nobody dared come close to the snake.
The soothsayer that was summoned divined that white chalk,kolanuts and oil should be brought for the mysterious snake. The items were left under the tree, and the crowd instructed to go away; by the time they returned, the snake was gone. When such weird incident was becoming one too many, my mother, out of frustration, gave me to a woman with big goiter called Uwadinike and she brought me up.”
Are there famous people who have sought your service?
Of course. I will give you two. When I first arrived in Ibadan, I was working with one Alhaja Temitayo. One day, she took me to Alhaji Busari Adelakun Eruobodo, a prominent Ibadan politician. ‘This young herbalist is very tough,’ she said of me to him. The man demanded that I should divine the future for him. I did.
I unraveled all his secrets. He was so awe-struck he took me from Ibadan to his village, Ejioku, because he felt if I stayed in Ibadan, people might lure me away from him. Occasionally, he brought me to Ibadan, but he would ensure that his driver returned me to the village that very night. I was able to convince him to let me stay with him in Ibadan so “I can see the bad people following you.”
He agreed and I was living in an apartment at Agodi, near the Old Ife Road. Journalists soon found me and in no time, the defunct Sketch newspaper interviewed me. Thereafter, I appeared on BCOS in 1982. Once in the spotlight, I began to enjoy the patronage of the high and mighty in the society.
It was just a matter of time before I came to the notice of the late Bashorun MKO Abiola. The same woman, who introduced me to Eruobodo went to him and told him that ‘one Bendel boy is here, who knows about native medicine.’ They took me to him at Premier Hotel in Ibadan. You know, he stammered. When I came before him, he said, ‘O-Omo-OmoBendel, s-se’lagbara, s-ele da-a’fa?’ (Bendel boy, do you have power; can you divine Ifa?).
I divined for him. I told him of a contract he was vying for abroad, which he was contesting with other multinational companies. I told him what he should do to clinch it. Abiola asked me: ‘A-Are you-y-you sure?’ By the time we met again after a month, he had gotten the contract; he sent someone from Lagos to fetch me from Ibadan.
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Without Adelakun’s knowledge, I travelled to Lagos. He gave me money. He bought me a car, a new Peugeot station wagon at Mafoluku. At that time, the station wagon cost N8,000. As for his quest to become the president of Nigeria, in 1993, I told Abiola in Quality magazine that he would win the presidential election but IBB would not hand over the rein of power to him. But he did not take my advice because his wife, Kudirat, scoffed at it, saying ‘after all, you and IBB are friends; why wouldn’t he hand over to you if you win?”
How did you end up in Lagos?
I came to Lagos in 1986. I first stayed at Agege, and then moved to Egbeda where I lived at No. 32 Jeza Street, until 1992. There was a woman, who had been pregnant for many years. I gave her some concoction and she delivered a fowl. She was photographed and it became big news. It was published by Prime People magazine. I still have clippings of the story. The editor of Lagos Weekend at the time was my friend. So, every week, I was in the news in the Lagos Weekend.
Having a supernatural power, has it been worthwhile?
Yes, people give me things; people I helped. Some of them gave me land. Others gave me cash. Some helped me pay my children’s school fees and three of kids have graduated from the university.
With your power you must be immune from dangers?
Let me tell you a story. I once travelled to Port Harcourt to work. In the morning, I left the hotel and just as I was about to board a vehicle, four young men, came to me. They said: ‘Who are you and where are you going?’ Unaware of their intention, I answered amiably that “I am Dr. Iboi, I want to go home.” They ordered me to enter the car they brought.
At first, I thought they were plainclothes policemen until I saw one of them bringing out a gun. Gun? I told them, back and front no dey see. They began laughing. The continued to laugh while I walked away from their midst, climbed an Okada and went my way. But during the Abacha wahala, I ran away. People were asking about me after I told Abacha to go and beg SaroWiwa’s mother. I knew it was no longer safe for me. So, I went to my village, where I know nobody can harm me.”
What will you not do?
I will never do bad medicine or kill a fellow human being.
Suppose you are offered huge amount of money to do it?
I will tell the person, carry your money waka. I believe in fairness and I live by the good advice of my grandmother. She told me: Never take your friend’s wife and don’t take another man’s wife. I live by that creed. The best thing for anybody is to do good. If you do good, you will reap good; if you do bad, there is no way you can escape the bad repercussions. Even witches know these.
What is the difference between black witches and the so-called white witches?
They are all witches. A witch is a witch. But just as it is with human beings – some people are bad by nature, some are good-natured – so it is with witches. No difference. By their deeds, they are classified as white or black witches.
