Police Handover Internet Fraudsters to EFCC

Police Handover Internet Fraudsters to EFCC
Operatives of the IGP Intelligence Response Team, IRT, has handed over three suspected Advance Fee fraudsters to the Ibadan office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC for further investigation.

The suspects who are between 22 and 29 years of age include: Ebenezer Adeniyi Oluwafemi, Kolade Samuel Sogo, and Olwagbenga Majeed Ejikunke. They were arrested Tuesday 4th, December, 2018 in Ilesha, Osun State following series of intelligence gathered by the operatives.

Preliminary investigations further revealed that the suspects allegedly got involved in different romance scam posing as female foreigners to fleece unsuspecting victims on the social media.

At the point of arrest, varied fetish materials, two laptops, and five different brands of telephones were recovered from them. Several documents containing false pretences were also recovered from the suspects.

According to the Head, Ibadan Office, Abdulrasheed Bawa, the handing over of the three suspects brought the total number of Advance Fee fraudsters arrested in the Ibadan office to 40 in the last couple of weeks. “The zone is no longer a hiding place for the fraudsters”, he stated.

Investigation is still ongoing and the suspects will soon be charged to court.

Tony Orilade
Ag. Head, Media & Publicity
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Court Sentences Gafar Saka to One Year Imprisonment Over Land Scam

Justice M. L. Owolabi of the Oyo State High Court, sitting in Iyagunku, today, December 7, 2018 convicted and sentenced one Gafar Saka to one year imprisonment for obtaining money under false pretence contrary to Section 419 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap 38, Laws of the Oyo State 2000. The sentence takes effect from the day of his arrest.

Gafar who was re-arraigned today by the Ibadan office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a one count amended charge bordering on obtaining money under false pretence pleaded guilty and entered into a plea bargain. He was therefore, convicted accordingly. He also refunded the said plots of land to the complainant.

The amended information that earned the convict the jail term reads, “that you Gafar Saka between the 26th of November, and 14th December, 2016 at Ibadan within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with the intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N4,500,000.00 (Four Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira) only from one Mr. Bamidele Adebisi and Mrs. Adeola Adebisi through Pastor Olorunfemi Isaac, under the false pretence that the money represented payment for a parcel plot of land at plot 9, Block B, behind African Church Grammar School, Apata Ganga, Ido Local Government Area, Ibadan Oyo State, which pretence you knew to be false, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 419 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap 38, Laws of the Oyo State 2000”.

Tony Orilade
Ag. Head, Media & Publicity
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Judge Withdraws after Fraud Suspects Sought for Favour

The trial of Victoria Adelana, a civil engineer, who is standing trial for a N5 million fraud, before Justice D.Z. Senchi of a Federal Capital Territory, FCT High Court, Jabi, has taken a new twist as the trial judge withdrew from the case accusing the defendant of embarrassing him with several calls, “asking for help” in the matter.

Adelana, who is accused of defrauding Chinenye Ike in a land scam, was arraigned in May 2016, and pleaded “not guilty” to the charge. She later jumped bail, and had to be declared wanted, before operatives of the EFCC arrested her on February 10, 2018 and brought her to court to face her trial.

Justice Senchi thereafter revoked the bail earlier granted her and ordered that she be remanded in Suleja prison.

The trial had continued on February 20, 2018 with prosecuting counsel, Diane Nkwap, calling her first witness, Frank Kamalu, who told the court how the defendant collected the money to buy a plot of land at Maitama Extension II, in Abuja, for Ike. It however, turned out to be a land scam.

At the resumed sitting, Justice Senchi, was to give ruling on bail, and a “no-case” submission by the defence. However, the trial judge informed both prosecution and defence in open court that he felt embarrassed by the recent development, in which the defendant had literally been harassing him with several calls.

“Since last sitting of November 28, 2018 when the matter last came up, she has been calling me severally asking for help in the matter and even today before sitting commenced, she called me,” Justice Senchi said. The trial judge then asked Adelana how she got his phone number.

“Danlami, a member of the Badminton Association gave me the number to call and beg for assistance,” she replied.

In view of the development, the trial judge, excused himself from the case, and ordered that the case file be returned to the Chief Judge of the FCT for re-assignment. Adelana was also ordered to be remanded in prison custody pending the re-assignment of the case.

Tony Orilade,
Ag. Head, Media & Publicity