Tag Archives: DUPE

How I was duped inside Lagos taxi – Victim

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A victim of a three-man syndicate that specialises in swindling unsuspecting members of the public by pretending to have their goods seized by the Nigerian Customs has told the police how she was duped of N9,000.

Chiwenu Ibeh said she was going to Ojodu Berger from Ojota, in Lagos, when a taxi driver, in an ash-coloured Toyota Camry 1997 model with registration number SMK 886 DK, stopped at the bus stop to pick her.

“As he drove along, he picked another passenger on Kudirat Abiola Way,” said Mrs. Ibeh.

“We were still on Kudirat Abiola Way when the new passenger started a conversation in something like French language with the driver.”

Mrs. Ibeh said the driver then pleaded with her that he wants to take the new passenger to Custom’s Office on Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, where his goods were seized.

“It was here that their story changed and I became the subject of their manipulation in connivance with a Customs agent and a pastor,” she said.

“Under the pretext that the four of us assist the man whose goods were trapped with the Customs over export duties, they brainwashed me into releasing my ATM card, led me to withdraw the last N9,000 from my account.

“After this, the pastor prayed for me and told me to go home and get more money my family kept at home.”

Mrs. Ibeh said the incident occurred last week.

“On Thursday, my husband and I were standing at the Maryland Bus Stop,” she continued.

“I saw the same Toyota Camry with same number plate and a new driver, but beside it was the former driver that lured me into fraud, pretending to be passenger.

“I alerted RRS officers stationed in Maryland and they arrested them.”

In a statement on Sunday, the police said they arrested the driver, Kenneth Umukoro, 36, and his accomplice, Uba Utokcha, 41.

The police said they also arrested two other suspects, Joseph Onuoha and Ikechukwu Okeke separately but in similar circumstances on Tuesday and Wednesday last week respectively.

Mr. Onuoha told interrogators that he belonged to a fraud syndicate led by one man simply identified as Toronto (who is now at large), who trained over 40 of them to go out daily in search of would-be victims, the police statement said.

“When we hit jackpot, we share it into five parts. Toronto takes two parts. Two of us in a team share two and we would share the remaining part to others,” the statement quoted Mr. Onuoha, 40, as saying.

“Presently, our office in Ajegunle has been busted by the police. Toronto as I was told has relocated to somewhere in Surulere. Whenever we have issues with the police, he comes around to secure our bail.”

Dolapo Badmus, the Police Public Relations Officer, said the police would not relent in their duties of making the state crime free and warned members of the public to be wary of suspicious dealings.

The police said the four suspects have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti.

Civilian impersonates soldier, dupes police officer in Benue.

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A Makurdi Magistrates’ Court on Thursday sentenced 31-year-old applicant, Gideon Chubu, to 12 months imprisonment for impersonating a soldier and duping a mobile police officer of N40,000.

 

Chubu was arraigned on a two-count, bordering on cheating and impersonation, punishable under Section 326 of the Penal Code Laws of Benue, 2004.

 

The Magistrate, Mrs. Lillian Tsumba, sentenced Chubu to 12 months imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to the crime and begged the court for leniency.

 

Tsumba who noted that the convict had no record of previous convictions, said the sentence was to serve as deterrent to others.

 

The magistrate also ordered Chubu to pay back the sum of N40,000 he fraudulently collected from the mobile policeman.

 

The prosecutor, Insp. Gabriel Agbadu, had told the court that one Cpl. Elija Ikwe, attached to 13 Police Mobile Force, Makurdi, reported the matter at ‘C’ Division Police Station, Makurdi on Nov. 6.

 

Ikwe reported that he met Chubu at Wurukum roundabout, Makurdi, on Oct 26, and he introduced himself as a soldier serving with the Chief of Defence Staff in Abuja.

 

Ikwe further stated that the convict deceptively collected N40,000 from him with a promise to help enlist his younger brother into the Nigerian Army.

 

The victim stated that the convict was later discovered not to be a soldier and had converted the money to his personal use.

 

The prosecutor said that the convict was arrested during police investigation and he confessed to have committed the crime.

How ‘doctor’ duped woman of N66.9m – EFCC

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Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye of the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja, has remanded a self-styled doctor, Innocent Chukwu and a woman, Mrs. Obiageli Anachebe, who allegedly defrauded a businesswoman of a total sum of N66,900,000.00.

Justice Ipaye made the order following the defendants’ not guilty plea and adjourned till October 14, for hearing of their bail applications.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned Chukwu, alias Dr. Ohamadike, and Anachebe on a five-count charge with No. ID/1332C/2015, bordering on conspiracy to obtain money by false pretences, stealing by fraudulent conversion and concealment of deed.

It said the defendants, with intent to defraud, obtained N50,000,000.00 from a businesswoman, Mrs. Vivian Amadi, “under the false pretence that they were capable of solving all her problems by spiritual means,” knowing the representation to be false.

The Commission also alleged that Chukwu dishonestly obtained and concealed title documents of a building situated at No. 4, Nteje Street, New Haven, Enugu, valued at N35, 000,000.00 property of Amadike.

The anti-graft agency, represented by its counsel, Mr. Kunle Fayanju, said both alleged offences were committed between October and December 2013, in Lagos.

It added that Chukwu, on or about February 14, 2014, dishonestly converted the sum of N16, 900,000.00 property of Amadike and Pamela Ihediwa of Bluebeam Capital Ltd, Lagos.

Chukwu, the Commission said, obtained the sum by claiming to have for sale, a United States dollar equivalent of the N16.9m “which representation he knew to be false and dishonest.”

According to the Commission, the offences contravened Section 8(a) and 1(3) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act No. 14 of 2006 and Sections 285(9)(c) and 288 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

45 Year Old Man Sells Father’s House To Different Buyers

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A 45-year-old man, Olusanya Ajala, has been arrested for allegedly selling a house bequeathed to him and his three siblings to two different buyers.
Ajala was said to have sold the property to a businesswoman, Anita Ojuola, and one other buyer, whose name had yet to be ascertained.It was learnt that Ajala sold the house to Ojuola without the consent of his sisters.
Our correspondent learnt that the building, which comprises eight rooms and three boys’ quarters, is located on Ajala Close in the Ijaiye area of Lagos.

PUNCH Metro learnt that Ojuola had shown interest in the house, and was introduced to the suspect by an estate agent. The two parties were said to have negotiated and subsequently agreed on N3.5m.
Anita reportedly paid N1m into a bank account provided by the suspect on March 9 with a promise to pay the balance towards the end of April. It was gathered that Ajala issued a forged power of attorney to the woman to signify her ownership of the property.
Trouble was said to have started when the suspect shelved appointments to meet Ojuola and refused to pick her calls. It was learnt that Ojuola, who demanded to see his siblings before she would pay the N2.5m balance, eventually met the suspect a month after.
Our correspondent was told that Ojuola discovered that the house had been sold to another person, who had started renovating it.
She said,
 “Before I made payment, my lawyer, the agent and I met with him and requested proof of ownership. The lawyer interviewed him and asked him to produce all necessary documents. He produced a document indicating that he has the power of attorney to sell the house and the lawyer told me to go ahead with the payment.
“On March 9, I made a transfer of N1m to his bank account. I asked Mr. Olusanya (Ajala) on three occasions to take us to the house and introduced me to the tenants that the house had been bought, but he refused. The agent and I finally met with him on April 14. We insisted that he take us to the house. On getting there, we learnt that he had sold the house to someone else since March 20.”
Upon the discovery, the matter was reported at the Ijaiye-Ojokoro Police Station, leading to Ajala’s arrest.
One of Ajala’s sisters, Mrs. Aduni Ojelabi, said the family had no hand in the sale of the property to Ojuola.
She said,
“The house needed renovation and I called other family members to contribute money. When they refused, we decided to sell it on March 20 for N6.8m. Our agent collected N1.8m while the lawyer got N60,000. Four of us shared the remaining amount. I was surprised to hear that he (Ajala) had sold it to someone else.”