By Emmanuel Onasanya

A Nigerian, Daniel Nnoku has recounted how he slept in the graveyard at the age of 17 and how he also engaged in all kinds of internet fraud because of his desperation to make money.

He gave the account during a video interview he granted a blogger, Lucky Udu, monitored by Church Times on the internet.

In the interview, Nnoku who hails from Edo State recalled how he became so desperate for money because according to him, “nobody could boast of N100,000 in the family. We were 8 in number in the family and I wanted to change things.”

Encounter with herbalist

In the course of looking for solution to the family poverty, he met a friend who sold the idea of going to Senegal to learn and practice internet fraud kno

But before going to learn the dubious trade, they needed to do some spiritual fortification that will make them excel in the illicit trade. That was what led him and his friend to consult a witchdoctor in a village in Edo State.

Nnoku said it was the witchdoctor who told them they had to sleep in a graveyard so they could succeed in the internet fraud business.

“We went to a place in Edo State to meet the witchdoctor. It was a scary place. When we got to him, he promised to give us what we were asking for but he said he was going to take us to the cemetery around 12 midnight and that we would sleep there.” he recalled.

His friend backed out. But Nnoku said he was determined. He went back to meet the witch doctor. This happened around 2019.

Burial ground

He went to the man in his shrine and the man took him to the cemetry. “When we got to the burial ground, He asked me to remove my cloth. He then tied a red and white cloth on me then showed me where I would sleep at the cemetry. After doing some incantations, he left me in the place.”

Nnoku said at a point the whole place became scary and he tried to run from the place. But it was too late for him. “I saw ghost of dead people wondering around the cemetery. Some of the people I was seeing were shapeless. I was looking at everything that was going on though I was asked to close my eyes. I slept in the burial ground that night. By the time I left the place in the morning, I had become possessed with all kinds of demons.”

Journey to Senegal

He went to meet the witchdoctor the following morning. The man prepared some charms for him based on agreement he would come back to give him money when he succeeds in the internet fraud.

He then travelled to Senegal and began the internet fraud business. “I made around 12000 dollars shortly after getting to Senegal and decided to come back to Nigeria.” he said

Back to Nigeria

He came back to Nigeria and began living licentious life reminiscent of that of the prodigal son.

Nnoku said he did not bother to report back to the witchdoctor but rather chose to live a bogus life. He was moving from one hotel to the other and enjoying life.

But he soon became broke. He remembered the herbalist that helped him with charm. He went back to him for some more charm but the herbalist turned him down. He was angry he broke their earlier deal

Nnoku had promised to buy the herbalist a car if the charm he made worked. The herbalist however gave him another chance.

Mortuary water

This time, he was asked to bring water that has been used to bath a corpse. He went to the mortuary and bought the water for a sum of N50k. He was asked to bath with the water at the market junction.

After bathing with the water he had to stay in the open for about 45 minutes for the water to dry up on his body according to instruction. He went back to the herbalist who prepared some concoction for him to aid his fraudulent internet business.

Nnoku began to make it again. He made 7000 dollars from internet fraud and gave the herbalist N3million.

Prison experience

But he went back to his licentious lifestyle. He threw a lavish birthday party and spent close to N3.1 million. By then he had just N1.3 million in his account.

The owner of the bar got him arrested afterward and was charged to court so he could pay his debt. He pleaded guilty. He was remanded in one of the Correctional Centres in Edo State since he could not pay his debt.

Onuku now 24 and a trained barber said he had the most miserable experience while in prison. “I could still feel demonic presence in my life. I was not myself.” He recalled.

Became born again

It was at the Correctional Centre he came to his senses and decided to surrender to Jesus. “I was in Obiaja prison. I became an evangelist and preached the gospel. But as God would have it, I was among the 400 people that were pardoned when President Tinubu was sworn in 2023. So I did not spend the two years that I was supposed to serve.”

While appreciating God for saving him, he said, since he came back from the correctional centre, things have been difficult. “I must say life has not been easy. I have become so broke that it took one Prophetess Deborah to accommodate me in her church. I had to go through 7 days deliverance. But right now, things are tough. But I have made up my mind not to go back to my past no matter what.”

He described his journey in life as dining with the devil adding however that Devil is not a cheerful giver.