Outrageous claims of the Juju cult now operating in Scotland
Wearing robes and a headdress, witch doctor Sheikh Siduo sat on a “throne” in the bedroom of his Glasgow flat and promised to cure cancer.
Charging £40 just for a consultation, he then demanded £375 for “medicine” which he insisted would get rid of the killer disease.
Then he offered a cure for infertility for £380.
Siduo was unconcerned when our investigator said he was in debt – and claimed he could also magic away money problems The witch doctor is just one of a number of African medicine men preying on the weak and vulnerable in Scotland They are raking in a fortune by selling “mystic” potions which they claim can help with sickness, fertility, good luck, business success, addiction, debt and relationships.
They say their remedies,which originate in Africa, are 100 per cent guaranteed and will begin to work within days.
The witch doctors are linked to the Juju cult, which originated in west Africa and was implicated in the horrific “torso in the Thames” murder in 2001.
Detectives investigating the headless body of a boy aged five found in the London river linked the case to a Nigerian woman living in the south side of Glasgow.
Now African medicine men are freely advertising their services in Scotland’s biggest city.
We secretly filmed some of the fake holy men as they made their outrageous claims.
It is illegal for anyone to make false claims that they can cure cancer – with a maximum punishment of three months in jail.
But when he met our investigators, Siduo vowed: “If you want, I can do something to help you with cancer and to get pregnant as well. I give you my promise I can help you.”
We bought one lot of “cancer medicine” for test purposes which he said should be sprinkled in bath water and used to wash the body and hair.
Wrapped in a old scrap piece of paper, it weighed less than two grammes.
An independent lab test showed it is likely to be a form of plant leaf from a tree or shrub ground into a powder.
Siduo said four baths would deal with the cancer and the impact would be felt immediately.
He said: “Don’t worry. You succeed in being healthy. You succeed in having a happy life.”
He said a second batch of medicine would have to be purchased to deal with infertility.
He claimed: “There is a problem in the stomach.The medicine will clear it and you will succeed in having a baby.”
Siduo created a mystical atmosphere with burning incense and candles.
A seven-foot tall chart of spells was draped by a large sheet on the wall.
He told our reporters we had enemies who had cursed us with an evil spell.
Siduo told us the power of the curse originated in east Africa – in Nairobi, Kenya – and that his powers could lift it. Hes aid he would cast spells throughout the night and enlist the help of his father, a witch doctor in Africa.
During our appointment, Siduo took a call from a woman he was “treating” who was desperate to get her husband back.
He told her it hadn’t worked so far because she hadn’t had a full course and said it would take a further £125 to get a result.
Two other medicine men we visited operated a similar scam.
Leaflet campaigns advertising the witch doctors have been put through the doors of householders across central Scotland. The scam has been widely used in London.
The conmen operating in Scotland all call themselves sheikhs, which is used to describe a leader or elder.
Appointments are available day and night and the desperate are drawn in by the promise of a reading to pinpoint their problems. We were charged from £20 to £40 for an initial consultation. Siduo was only too happy to supply precise directions to the nearest bank for cash.
Two out of three told us they could cure cancer and infertility.
Another, Sheikh Muhamed, was offering medicine for cancer for £460. In his consultation, he used wooden beads and a wand made of animal hair.
Hes aid: “Cancerous cells will be clear. The sickness has to be clear if you want a baby.’
Ludicrous The third, Sheikh Abdur Rahamane, said he could help our fake couple conceive. But he said he couldn’t tackle cancer because the African medicine needed is illegal in the UK.
Psychologist and author Ross Heaven said: “The claims are ludicrous. They cannot cure cancer and they know it”It would be wrong to dismiss the power they can hold over people. It may be healthy for a person to have spiritual beliefs but not when they are exploited.
Last night Glasgow Central MP Mohammad Sarwar said: “These people are targeting the most vulnerable in society in order to make money. The Record has done a great job in bringing this issue to light.
“These are serious criminal offences and I am calling for the full severity of the law to be used.”
Our dossier has been passed to the police.
Sidebar:
RITUAL SLAUGHTER IN OUR CITIES
The notorious Juju cult came from west Africa then spread to the Caribbean.
And now it is operating in Scotland’s cities.
It hit the headlines in 2001 when the body of a boy aged around five was found floating in the river Thames. Named “Adam” by police, his limbs and head had been removed.
Scotland Yard suspected ritual child murder and linked the case to the JuJu cult.
The next year, they came to Glasgow to arrest Nigerian asylum seeker Joyce Osagiede, 31. She had told immigration officials her son had been ritually killed in Africa.
She refused to answer questions and was released because of a lack of evidence. Osagiede was later deported.