Operatives of the Ibadan Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, have arrested forty-seven (47) suspected internet fraudsters.
The suspects were arrested last Friday at Ikere Road and Iworoko areas of Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State following intelligence on their alleged cyber fraud activities in the State.
The suspects are Adeyemi Joshua Adeniran, Ajaye Redmond Damilare, Nwaji Mathew, Jegede Boluwaji Victor, Oyetunji Sunday Wole, Damilola Awopetu Ayomide, Ajayi Temitope Ayomide, Babajide Adebisi Victor, Balogun Precious Akinwale, Obie Jacob Onatakaroma, Olonitola Olamilekan, Ajewole Ojo Kayode, Aina Toluwani Emmanuel, Adebayo Akinwumi Oluwadamilare, Omowaye Oluwatosin Olamilekan, Oyewale Francis Oyomilekan, Arowolo Ayomide Gift, Shotonwa Babatunde Omotoyosi, Ochochie Silas Ochola, Ojo Seyitan David, Onile Ayodeji Raphael and Abiodun Oluwatosin Opeyemi.
Others are: Adebayo Gbenga Musbau, Oyebade Ayomide Olamide, Egunjobi Samuel Gbenga, Oladokun Toheeb Adekola, Adesola Benjamin Adebowale, Edamisan Olakunle, Adesola Isaac Babatunde, Oyewole Gideon David, Lawal Tosimile Moses, Adeleke Adekunle Samson, Oladiti Abiodun Akanji, Ajayi Charles Temitayo, Adeyemi Oluwasegun Adeboye, Ernest Solomon Temitope and Atoun Olalekan Timilehin.
The rest are: Olorunyomi Sina Ayo, Babatunde Emmanuel Babalola, Yusuf Saka Olaoluwatobi, Falaye Babatunde Temitope, Ilesanmi Damilola Ayomide, Badmus Yusuf Omobolaji, Komolafe Emmanuel Feranmi, Babajide Adebisi Victor, Adamolekun Olamiji and Oshatimi Samuel Omoniyi.
In a related development, the Oyo State Command of the Nigerian Police arrested and handed over two cybercrime suspects, Emiola Usman and Kamorudeen Quayum, to the Ibadan Zonal Command of the EFCC, for further investigation.
Items recovered from the suspects include fifteen (15) exotic cars, sixteen (16) laptops, seventy-seven (77) mobile phones and other incriminating documents, among others.
The suspects, according to the Head, Media & Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, will be charged to court as soon as the investigations are concluded.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has fulfilled its commitment to justice by handing over $22,000 recovered from a convicted internet fraudster, Hakeem Olanrewaju, to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI).
In a statement released on Saturday, EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale announced that the handover took place on Friday in Lagos State.
“We are delighted to be handing over this proceeds of crime today,” remarked the Acting Director of the EFCC Lagos Zonal Command, Michael Wetkas. “The EFCC is willing and always ready to do more.”
At the handover event, FBI’s Legal Attaché Charles Smith praised the EFCC for its collaborative efforts.
“The EFCC and FBI work collaboratively together, and it is thanks to the EFCC that we can recover funds of this nature, especially from Business Email Compromise, BEC,” stated Smith.
“This type of crime cripples businesses in the US, and for them to recover the money within one to two years gives hope to the affected companies and brings some level of justice, even if not all subjects have been identified.”
Smith expressed hope for continued cooperation between the two agencies, emphasising the FBI’s readiness to support investigations.
Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, had previously ordered the restitution of the recovered money to Olanrewaju’s victim in the US.
Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Hamzat Adebola, on Thursday, paraded the former Chairman of the Park Management System, Lamidi Mukaila, commonly known as Auxiliary.
The arrest came following months of pursuit after the Department of State Services detained Auxiliary at his Olodo residence in Ibadan, the state capital, on the penultimate Tuesday.
Mukaila had been on the run since the police declared him wanted for his alleged involvement in a string of armed robbery, kidnapping, and murder cases.
Adebola, addressing the media while parading the suspect at the state police command, emphasised that Mukaila would face charges in court.
He stated, “Discreet intelligence-led search commenced for the sacked PMS chieftain with the help of technology, collaborative efforts with sister services and community policing, many locations were identified, traced and combed for months until his recent arrest in a concerted effort with our sister services.”
The Commissioner outlined the extensive list of exhibits recovered from Mukaila’s possession at his Diamond Hotel residence around Alakia-Isebo Egbeda under Egbeda Local Government Area.
The recovered items include one AK-47 Rifle, four AK-47 magazines, 84 live AK-47 Ammunitions, 19 pump-action rifles, one Barreta pistol, seven cut-to-size guns, one English-made Barrel Gun, 724 live cartridges, 25 cutlasses, Seven Jack knives, 33 mobile phones, one Samsung laptop, charms, one Mazda Bus, one Toyota Sienna, and a cash sum of N3,450,000.00.
Continuing, the Police chief affirmed that Mukaila would be charged to court for the offenses committed.
He expressed gratitude to the public for providing credible information to help curb crime in the state.
Adebola also reiterated the commitment of the command to deal decisively with any criminally motivated individual or group aiming to regress the state into the historical dark ages of the “Wild West.”
A Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Abuja has delivered its verdict in the case involving Mrs. Ramat Mba, a mother of five children, accused of forging the signature of the late Abba Kyari, former Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari.
Presiding over the case, Justice Ibrahim Mohammad deferred Mrs. Mba’s sentencing until Thursday, the 16th of May, 2024. However, he directed that she be remanded in Suleja Correctional Centre.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had initially arraigned Mrs. Mba in June 2022 on a 5-count charge including cheating, fraud, and forgery, contravening various sections of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 200 and the Penal Code Cap 89 laws of Northern Nigeria.
During the trial, ICPC’s Prosecutor, Mr. Hamza Sani, presented evidence detailing how Mrs. Mba allegedly deceived job seekers by promising them employment with government agencies such as the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS), National Space Research Development Agency (NASRDA), and the ICPC.
Specifically, Mrs. Mba was accused of fraudulently inducing a job seeker to pay N700,000 into her private account under the guise of securing employment at the National Space Research and Development Agency.
Moreover, documentary evidence revealed that Mrs. Mba forged a letterhead from the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President and Abba Kyari’s signature.
The forged letter, addressed to the Chairman of ICPC, requested the recruitment of three individuals by the Commission.
However, a correspondence from the late Chief of Staff distanced his office from authorising such a letter.
In his judgment, Justice Ibrahim Muhammad convicted Mrs. Mba on counts 1, 2, 3, and 5, related to cheating and forgery, while she was discharged on count 4, which pertains to felony.