Female Legislator Caught With Charms; House Suspends Her

The Ondo State House of Assembly Wednesday suspended indefinitely a member representing Ose State Constituency, Mrs. Fola Olasehinde, for allegedly harbouring some fetish items in her apartment, located at the Ijapo area of Akure.

Fetish objects found included amulets, snail shells, live snails, cow horns of different sizes in coloured cloth, miniature coffins, photo images of humans and animals, concoctions in black clay pots as well as bottles and cans containing all manner of liquids...

The Deputy Speaker of the House, Mr. Dare Emiola, who announced her suspension on the floor of the House, said the decision was taken during a parliamentary meeting before the convocation of the Assembly on Wednesday.

The House had earlier set up a 5-member committee, headed by Mr. Fatai Olotu, which indicted Olasehinde and recommended her suspension for allegedly embarrassing the assembly by her action.

The travails of the lawmaker started recently when a former commissioner in the state, Mr. Ogunbadejo Kolawole, raised the alarm following the alleged discovery of fetish objects in the apartment of Olasehinde.

Ogunbadejo had alleged that the scary items were found in the twin-duplex 6, Olasehinde Lane, Ijapo Estate, Akure, which she occupied between 2009 and 2012.

Some personal effects of the female lawmaker, including House of Assembly vehicle plate number, campaign posters and hand bills were also said to have been found in the apartment.

But Olasehinde denied any knowledge of the fetish items, saying she had moved all her belongings into a new accommodation at GRA, Alagbaka, Akure, since October, 2012.

According to her, she gave the keys to her personal assistant for another co-tenant because the two duplexes share the same water system, adding that she expected the co-tenant to have handed over the keys to the landlord.

The landlord had issued Olasehinde a quit notice last year, demanding that she vacated the apartment by October, 2012.