Categories: EPE News

Civil Servant Refutes Witchcraft Allegation to Boost Sales in Epe

By Babatunde Kaka

The Civil servant at the centre of the viral witchcraft allegation, Mrs Iyabo Akintoye, has in strong terms debunked the alleged accusation by unscrupulous persons that she confessed like a witch that she employed diabolic means to get customers to rush her moin-moin and other local food.

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Recall that on Tuesday, Epe residents after enjoying the Eid Maulud holiday a day earlier, woke up to the disturbing news of witchcraft confession by the popular moin-moin trader at Ita-Opo, which drew the attention of thousands of spectators who stormed the residence.

Eko Hot Blog, in an interview with the traumatized single mother later in the evening at her residence, reports that she never at any point made any witchcraft-related confession. She was grateful to have overcome all manner of possible lynching and mob action as a result of her exceptional benevolence and charitable deeds to all and sundry. This, she said was made possible by an army of benefactors, well-wishers, customers, business partners and family members who were on the ground to shield her from the sea of heads who clustered at her shop.

“This is to reaffirm my position to my loyal customers and people of the world that I did not at any point confess to using mystical and diabolic powers to influence customers to boost my moin-moin and food business. No issue of witchcraft emanated from me or any of my staff and I want to use this medium to assure my customers and the entire people of Epe and beyond that, the allegation only exists in the imagination of my traducers. It is the handiwork of the enemies and to the glory of God, their attempt to soil my name has failed,” she said.

During the interview, the entrepreneur disclosed that the secret of her booming business which she said is through the obtainment of loans and credit from trusted customers. She reflected on the beginning of her business sojourn when she admitted that she was empowered to start the business twenty-eight years ago by her late supportive landlord, Late Alhaji Giwa Lugbasa.

“I am the sole breadwinner of my family; I don’t have a husband because we separated in 1988. Feeding my children was like passing through the needle’s eye. So, I began frying fish, puff-puff, and plantain just to send my children to school. So, one-day Alhaji Giwa Lugbasa encouraged me to establish the moin-moin business by buying a given quantity of beans and adding money for groundnut oil and the moin-moin leaves. Despite me running into debts severally, he was not deterred to reimburse me until I became stable,” she said.

She refuted the falsehood that part of the human body was found in her soup, stressing that five years ago, she had experienced a similar issue of blackmail as she was accused of killing a cow suspected to be for diabolic means of attracting customers. In her proactive move, she disclosed that she stopped and changed to another style by buying directly from the abattoir.

“I trade on credit. I don’t have any money to keep it anywhere. Sometimes, it’s hard for me to earn two thousand naira as my gain throughout the day. I accept my fate because after I might have paid all of my creditors, I would still strive to cater for the needy who come to my doorstep for help. For 8 years, I refused to sell food because you’d hardly make gains from it but I had to heed the call of God,” she said.

Mrs Akintoye disclosed that when she was called while at her office to show up and dispel the devastating rumour, she rushed down to her shop and didn’t flinch despite the scary crowd that gathered outside her house. She attributed this to her strong faith in God, confidence and clear conscience of doing nothing wrong.

“That is why I don’t wear expensive fabrics, the highest I have is 15,000 naira and it is meant for my association. These boys beside my shop, I support them for their academic and vocational needs and I always advise them to return to school because I detest uneducated youths being friends with my children. Even whenever a mother successfully delivers a child at the hospital, I support them to pay their bills whenever I’m notified because if I buy expensive clothes and jewellery, I won’t be able to engage in any charitable deeds and that is what I think saved me today,” she said.

The reputable Civil-servant cum entrepreneur disclosed that her business is highly structured as every staff member is assigned their daily duty under the watchful eyes of a supervisor. She stressed that her business wouldn’t feel her absence even if she travelled for two months. She, therefore, gave a piece of advice to the young women caught in the web of failed marriages.

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“When my husband left me, I accepted my fate and moved on with my kids. This is the mistake some women make because they get involved in frivolities rather than work hard. Some women would go suicidal at the mention of a second wife by their husbands, and some won’t even see the wife before going berserk and at times killing their husbands. I married my job and I’m grateful God vindicated me with my children who are all educated,” she said.

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Damilare Abass