Nigerian Family Jailed 252 Months in US for Gross Fraud

Gbenga Ogundele and wife, Moji Popoola

 

A U.S District Judge, Paul W. Grimm has sentenced Gbenga Ogundele aka Benson Ogundele, age 58; of Laurel, Maryland to 234 months in prison, and sentenced his wife, Moji Popoola, aka Mojisola Oluwakemi Tin Popoola, age 42, to 18 months in prison, each followed by three years of supervised release. 

 

They were jailed for conspiracies to commit wire fraud and money laundering arising from a scheme to defraud vulnerable victims of millions of dollars. Ogundele was also convicted of aggravated identity theft in connection with the scheme. 

 

Judge Grimm ordered that Mojisola Popoola’s supervised release is to be served in home detention. He also ordered Ogundele to forfeit $2.2m, and ordered Mojisola Popoola to forfeit approximately $165,000 and to pay restitution of $34,100. 

 

On March 20, 2017, Judge Grimm sentenced Moji Popoola’s brother, Babatunde Emmanuel Popoola, age 34, of Bowie, Maryland, to 12 years in prison, on the same charges. He ordered Babatunde Popoola to pay restitution of $465,170.76. 

 

Ogundele and the Popoolas were convicted on November 18, 2016. One of their co-conspirators, Victor Oyewumi Oloyede, age 42, of Laurel, Maryland, was also sentenced to 234 months in prison. 

 

Co-conspirators Olusegun Charles Ogunseye, age 59 of Laurel, Maryland, Olufemi Wilfred Williams, age 28, of Owings Mills, Maryland, and Adeyinka Olubunmi Awolaja, Jr., age 34, of New Carollton, Maryland, each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering. 

 

Judge Grimm scheduled sentencing for Awolaja on June 12, 2017, for Ogunseye on July 25, 2017, and for Williams on July 27, 2017, all at 2:30 p.m. 

 

In a related case, Funmilayo Joyce Shodeke, age 67, of Burtonsville, Maryland, pleaded guilty on March 22, 2017 to conducting an unlicensed money transmitting business, and was sentenced to 13 months’ probation, and ordered to forfeit $29,900.

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EFCC arraigns man, others for $1m fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arraigned one Bashir Ishaq Bashir alongside his companies, Leda Greenpower Consortium, Leda Greenpower Nigeria Limited and Leda Consortium Limited before Justice S.E. Aladetoyinbo of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT High Court, Maitama, on a three-count charge of obtaining by false pretence and cheating to the tune of $1 million.

Bashir was alleged to have collected the said sum as part payment of a $3 million agreement from Althani Investments Company Limited for the purpose of forming a consortium to bid for shares at the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company. The bidding failed and several attempts made by the company for a refund of the money proved abortive.


He pleaded "not guilty" to the charges when they were read to him.

Prosecution counsel, Rimamsomte Ezekiel, thereafter asked for a trial date.

Responding, counsel for the defendant, A.B. Anachebe, SAN, moved the motion for his bail application.

Ezekiel opposed the application, arguing that "the defendant if granted bail will interfere with prosecution witnesses". He further argued that the application was not proper in the sense that the defence only mentioned the name of the first defendant without reference to the second, third and fourth defendants.

Justice Aladetoyinbo, while adjourning to April 10, 2017 for hearing granted him bail in the sum of N2 million and one surety in like some. The surety must be resident in Abuja and must have a landed property.

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Pictured! Distributor Defrauds Ayoola Foods Of N2.4m, Sets Up Hair Shop

The arm of the law has caught up with a distributor with a food producing company, Ayoola Foods Limited, 41-year-old Rashidat Folawiyo, after she allegedly defrauded the company of N2.4m.

Folawiyo, known as Ore Abosede on her Facebook account, was the company’s major distributor in Ondo State, until August 2016, when she failed to remit the proceeds of products worth over N2.4m to the company.

Saturday Punch learnt the company had handed over a van and food products worth about N6m to Folawiyo in August 2016. But by the time she was supposed to make remittance of an outstanding proceed of sale amounting to N2,407,270, she became unreachable.

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Ayoola Foods, Mr. Segun Olaye, told the police that Folawiyo was initially an employee of the company until she was rewarded with a distributorship role along with a few others across the country.

Saturday Punch learnt that she was given an operational vehicle and was getting N6m worth of products on credit every month.

Olaye said, “But when in August, her debt ran into over N2.4m and she was no longer reachable, we reported her to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Lagos.

“Initially, we did not realise what she had done because while she could not come back to the company for more products, she was still parading herself as a distributor, telling traders who wanted our products to pay directly to the company’s account.

“It was when we started getting calls from traders who were complaining that they were paying but not getting our products that we realised the money we had been getting from her area was not the debt she owed.”

Detectives from the SCID, who went after Folawiyo, were able to recover from her the operational van she was given by the company.

Saturday Punch learnt that the police later tracked her down in a hair extension store she had set up in Ijapo area of Akure, the Ondo State capital.

Many photographs on Folawiyo’s Facebook wall showed her standing in front of the store.

Pretending to be customers, the detectives were able to arrest Folawiyo and transported her back to Lagos, where she was detained and questioned.

In her statement, Folawiyo admitted to the police that she indeed converted the N2.4m to her personal use.

But when asked how she would pay back, she pleaded to be employed back in the company so that she could be paying back at N20,000 every month.

A police source told Saturday Punch that Folawiyo has now been charged before a Chief Magistrate’s Court, Yaba on three counts of theft, conspiracy to commit felony and fraud all contravening sections 285, 409 and 312 of the Criminal Code Laws of Lagos State 2011.

Folawiyo has been remanded in the custody of the Kirikiri Prison, Lagos, custody pending the time she would be able to meet her bail conditions.

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22-Year Old Nigerian Student Who Specializes In Duping Men On Instagram Nabbed (Photo)

So guys pay into ladies accounts just by chatting with them on Instagram? Olorun mu won, lol.

Falope Oluwole Israel, a 22 – year old suspected male student of the Nigeria Institute of Journalism, NIJ, Ogba, Lagos arrested by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the Lagos State Police Command, has confessed that he duped over 33 men while pretending to be a lady on Instagram.

Falope it was revealed, was arrested when officials of the RRS decoy team, who had been monitoring him for some weeks, trailed him to a popular club in Ikeja City Mall on Thursday evening, before arresting him.

The officers were reported to have monitored him, and those that he was interacting with at the club before arresting him and a colleague late in the night.

It was gathered that the suspect recently celebrated his birthday at Hard & Rock, Lekki, Lagos, week before his arrest, where he lavished over half a million on foods and drinks.

The suspect, a 100 level part time student of NIJ who confessed committing the crime, said that he had been in the business for more than two years.

The Police revealed that Falope’s activities on Instagram was placed under investigations when it received a complaint about an Instagram handle @blackberbiedoll, used for criminal activities, which was later traced to him.

Apart from @blackberbiedoll, which he prominently used for fraudulent activities, he maintained @froshwhite007 and @froshwhite separately for same purpose.

The complainant, Bernard stated that he got a friend request from @blackberbiedoll.

“Apparently, the picture on the account was that of a lady. The lady in question messaged me on BBM. Honestly, I thought I was chatting with a woman who claimed to be in Nigeria at the time.

“She lied to me that her father was a Nigerian and her mum, a Kenyan, and so we got talking. At a point, she lied that she was building a beauty outfit in Ikota Shopping Mall, VGC and that she was in need of some money to complete the mall,” Bernard added.

He explained further: “I had to transfer N1 million to her. Weeks later, I grew suspicious of the account name Olawole Israel Oluwaseun Falope. I ran a search on Google, and then discovered it was all scam. Immediately, I reported the incident to Instagram and that account was blocked and later suspended to prevent others from falling victim.”

Another victim, who did not want his identity disclosed said he paid N100, 000 into her account to support her bogus fashion outfit.

Admitting the allegation, the suspect noted that since he started the fraudulent act about two years ago, he had duped no fewer than 33 men pretending to be a lady on Instagram and that the least amount he received from any of them was N80,000.

“When I started, much as I pretended to be a lady on phone, some men on the other side didn’t believe me. I then downloaded an app on Google which transformed my voice into that of a lady whenever I am having conversation.

“I got several pictures of Shayla, a pretty United States based lady on my profile. Since then, men have been disturbing me and calling to request for a date”, he stated.

He said, “what I do is that I assessed people based on their appearance on Instagram, add them and thereafter open up conversations with them before I start bringing up all manners of stories in order to dupe them. At a point, I lied to most of them that I had an accident and I lost my ATM. I told them that I need some money. Some of them were generous enough to drop money into my account.

“I lied to them that I was putting up a boutique and saloon at Ikota, VGC and Lekki, and that I need money to finish setting up. I know I made a mistake downloading Shayla’s pictures and used them for fraudulent purposes. I am telling you the truth, those that I have collected money from can’t be more than 33.”

Investigations revealed that the owner of the profile pictures the suspect used, @Shayla had complained to Instagram that some Nigerians were using her profile pictures to scam unsuspecting members of the public.

It was also disclosed that the suspect claimed to be a friend of Toke Makinwa, Tonto Dike, Don jazzy, Peter Okoye, Toyin Aihmaku, Tee Y Mix, Oristsefemi, Timaya, Sean Tizzle, Dami Adenuga, Femi Otedola, Mike Adenuga jnr, Ramsey Noah, among others.

“I know all of them. I attend a lot of shows, I meet them, take photographs with them, even exchange numbers. Like sister Toke Makinwa, Tonto Dike, Uncle Ramsey Noah, these are the kind of celebrities I look up to and I want to be like them”, he stated.

But RRS investigators confirmed that he was following a lot of Nigerian celebrities on Instagram but they could not confirm if any of them fell prey to Falope’s antics, as many his Instagram chats with them got no response.

They added that a Ghanaian business man who Falope claimed to have met at a popular club in Nigeria rebuffed his request to engage him in a chat.

They noted that Falope’s claim of being a half-cast, Fashion designer, stylist, cosmetologist, model were all part of his fraud to make people fall for him as he was never a trainee or a specialist in any of this.

Our source added that he is not an half-cast as he claimed to be, but he rather bleached his skin.

“He didn’t deny this claim. He admitted bleaching his skin to escape the taunting of girls that he was
a very ugly guy”, the source stated.

Items recovered from the suspect included, an iphone 6, 1 Samsung Galaxy A5, an Apple tablet, hand and neck chains, some new notes and a handbag.

Confirming the development, the Police Public Relations Officer, Superintendent Dolapo Badmos, warned Nigerians to be careful on the internet because scammers were on the prowl world wide.

The suspect has been transferred to State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further investigations.

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An MRS Manager Jailed With Hard Labor For 2.5m Fraud

A Lagos Chief Magistrate’s Court sitting at Ogba, has sentenced a manager with MRS Service Station, Akoka branch, Amedu Friday, to four years imprisonment with hard labour, without an option of fine, for stealing N2,397,650.

The court, presided over by Magistrate K. A. Ogundare, convicted the station manager after he found him guilty of the two-count charge of conspiracy and stealing levelled against him by the men of State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, SCIID, of Lagos State Police Command, Panti, Yaba.

The convict was first arraigned before the court in January 2014, on the alleged offences, which the prosecutor, Inspector Cousin Adams, said were contrary to and punishable under Sections 409 and 285 (7) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011.

The prosecutor, Adams, informed the court that the convict and one Simeon Ejiro, still at large, broke the security safe of the petrol station and stole the said sum.

According to him, the convict was the only person that kept and knew the security safe key and code, and that there was no way the convict could be exonerated from the offence. The convict denied the offence, claiming that his office was burgled by his alleged conspirator, Simeon Ejiro. Magistrate Ogundare convicted and sentenced the manager to two years with hard labour on each count.

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Don't be Scammed Online! These are 7 Ways to Keep Information Safe on the Internet

Making transactions online can be very risky sometimes and one can fall a victim of fraud. These are ways you can play safe online.

 

file photo

 

It’s almost unavoidable to buy products online or give personal information to trusted websites. Unfortunately, that information isn’t always safe and criminals can easily access sensitive knowledge about you.

 

To help, there is a guide for regular people who don’t have time to develop a deeper understanding about wireless networks, yet need to protect their data over wireless channels.

 

1. Be safe on social media

 

Social media may seem like a safe place to share some of the more intimate details of your life, but you should be vigilant about what you post on these networks. Even seemingly innocuous information, like your birthday or address, can be used by criminals for more dangerous applications.

 

To avoid this, personalise the security settings in your social network accounts. If you share a post with Personally Identifiable Information, make sure to only select trusted individuals who can see it. Additionally, be wary of anyone you don’t know in real life making appeals to you for such PII.

 

2. Protect your credit cards

 

When making purchases online, always be sure that the website you enter your credit card information into is secure. The URL should begin with “HTTPS,” not simply “HTTP.” Don’t make purchases on an unsecured network, and remember to logout of your customer account when using public devices.

 

To be extra careful, load a prepaid credit card with limited funds for online purchases. This reduces the risk in case someone steals your information.

 

3. Use the cloud for back-ups

 

Backing your important files up is essential in case your devices are ever stolen. Over the years, cloud computing has become more secure, as large technology firms like Amazon and Microsoft take control of the market. Even hospitals and health care centres in advanced countries have started using clouds for data storage, easy access of files and to secure confidential documents.

 

A common example is Gmail and Google Drive, where you can upload the files and access them from anywhere in the world. The only requirement is a working Internet connection; that isn’t hard to find these days. Moreover, we can secure files with user-based or group-based permission. This is the future of backing up digital files on the clouds.

 

4. Factory reset and drive wiping

 

More often than not, simply “deleting” something from your computer or mobile device will not permanently remove the information from the machine. Before you sell or throw away your old machine, make sure that the drives are fully wiped and that the machine is given a factory reset.

 

Without this extra step, whoever gets your device next will have access to even the most secured information on your machine, including files you previously thought were deleted.

 

5. Disable Bluetooth and Wi-Fi when not in use

 

Whenever you’re not using the Bluetooth or Wi-Fi capabilities of your computer or mobile device, be sure to turn them off. If you don’t take this precaution, other devices in the vicinity may be able to gain access to yours, including access to open file sharing networks. For this reason, your network sharing settings should always be set to only share files with other trusted devices you own.

 

6. Password protection

 

Many sites these days require you to have a complex password before signing up, and while this may appear to be an inconvenience at first, it’s really in your best interest. Passwords should be impossible to guess by family and friends, which mean you shouldn’t use birthdays, anniversary dates, family member names, or other obvious identifying information.

 

Ideally, everyone will use a random password generator, and have those random passwords saved on a secure and encrypted file on their computer. Since that may be a bit extreme for most Internet users, just be sure to use different passwords for all important accounts (bank, email, etc.). Additionally, don’t use accurate information for password recovery questions like your mother’s maiden name, as these details are easy to get for the right cybercriminal.

 

7. Two-step authentication

 

Large, trustworthy companies like Google, Facebook, PayPal and more all offer two-step authentication, which forces users to enter a code sent to their mobile device in order to sign in. Other companies will ask for your mobile phone number or an alternative email address, so if someone attempts to log into your account from an unknown device, a message is sent to you requiring additional verification.

 

Both of these methods offer extra security for your sensitive information, whether it is financial or personal. If your social media or e-commerce site asks for additional identifying information like this so they can verify your account against strange login attempts, always opt in. You will get warnings of suspicious activity and the ability to change your information if it ever becomes compromised.

 

It’s never too late or too early to start protecting yourself online.

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UK Newspaper Warn Nigerians to Stay Away from MMM Ponzi Scheme, Wonder Bank

Nigerians have been given a sound and stern warning not to suffer the fate that befell most Zimbabweans recently by staying off MMM Ponzi scheme.

 

Nigerians have been warned that MMM Ponzi scheme everyone is rushing now to invest in might be a disaster in the waiting as it has been revealed that the scheme is run by a convicted Russian fraudster.

 

The warning came from the UK Independent. Read full details below.

 

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Thousands of investors are feared to have lost their money after a pyramid scheme run by a convicted Russian fraudster crashed, somewhat predictably, in Zimbabwe.

 

MMM Global has swept across Africa, with branches promising returns on investment of 30 per cent a month in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Nigeria and some east African states.

 

It is masterminded by the former Russian politician Sergey Mavrodi, who went on the run when the original MMM – standing for Mavrodi Mondial Moneybox – collapsed in the late 1990s, losing investors an estimated $100m.

 

On its website, MMM Global unashamedly advertises itself as a scheme whereby new members “assist” older members by paying a fee to join. Older members are allowed to withdraw money after a certain period of time, and receive bonuses for encouraging others to sign up.

 

Mavrodi himself is reported to have gone into hiding after a separate entity designed to reward investors with the cryptocurrency bitcoin – dubbed the “Republic of Bitcoin” – folded in April this year.

 

And since then, a criminal investigation has been launched into MMM Global’s branch in South Africa, after a probe by the National Consumer Commission “found something” to suggest the scheme was acting illegally.

 

With Zimbabwe’s traditional financial institutions in jeopardy and the country gripped by an economic crisis, thousands turned to MMM Global as an investment that was avowedly independent of government control.

 

That’s despite a warning from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe that the scheme was fraudulent. RBZ warned members of the public that existing investors were “paid money not from genuine market investment of their funds, but from contributions made by new investors, until a point when the scheme can no longer attract new investors”.

 

Sure enough, users reported being unable to withdraw any funds earlier this month. One told The Herald newspaper: “When we started putting our funds in the scheme one could get assistance within seven days but things later changed to 14 days and when we were shut out the waiting period was 21 days. 

“What it simply means is that the number of people in need of help has outnumbered the number of people joining. Right now we have nowhere to get our money which we invested.” 

 

Despite the cautionary tales of Zimbabwe and South Africa – and indeed the original MMM scheme – a branch is now proving increasingly popular in Nigeria.

The Central Bank of Nigeria has been forced to step in, warning consumers not to deposit money in any institution that is not insured by the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC).

 

The bank’s comms director, Isaac Okoroafor, described MMM Global as “a new Ponzi scheme … that is spreading like wildfire”.

“These people always come with very interesting propositions,” Mr Okoroafor said. “These are fraudsters who are just out there to collect people’s money and run away as soon as they hit their target.”

 

MMM Global’s members across Africa continue to defend its legitimacy, publishing screengrabs showing withdrawals as proof the scheme pays out.

 

In South Africa, where a Ponzi scheme is defined as any investment where the return is 20 per cent higher than the repo rate (currently 7 per cent), an anonymous member told business website Fin24:“MMM honestly tell people how it really works and do not promise people any return on the investments.

“As a donation programme, how is it possible to lose your donation? In MMM people ask each other to help them. It depends on the members themselves to maintain the continuation of the process of the provision of help to each other.”

 

A number of South African banks have now started shutting down accounts they believe could be linked to MMM, while in Zimbabwe the trusted mobile money transfer company EcoCash has distanced itself from the scheme, saying it is “not liable for any losses arising from the use of EcoCash to engage in illegal activities such as Ponzi schemes”.

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Former Minister, Obanikoro's N40m Refund Cheque to EFCC Bounces

The woes of a People's Democratic Party chieftain, Obanikoro have been compounded in the hands of the EFCC as he fails to meet the financial aspect of his bail conditions.

Musiliu Obanikoro

 

A N40 million cheque issued to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) by Former Minister of State for Defense, Musiliu Obanikoro has bounced, according to Sahara Reporters.

 

It would be recalled that the politicians has been strongly linked as a beneficiary of slush funds from the embattled former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki who has been incarcerated since last year, 2015.

Mr. Obanikoro, who returned from the U.S. two weeks ago and surrendered to the anti-corruption agency following one year on the lam, wrote several cheques to the EFCC to fulfill his promise to refund part of the N4.7 billion laundered through him and his son to finance the election of Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State in 2014.

Mr. Obanikoro, also a former ambassador to Ghana, admitted to embezzling N800m of the funds and promised to refund all of it. The initial agreement with EFCC investigators was for the former minister to refund N100m as a condition for his bail from custody.

However, two weeks after his detention, Mr. Obanikoro has only succeeded in paying back N24m. He then issued a series of cheques to the recovery account of the federal government last week, but EFCC operatives detailed to process the cheques discovered that the account to which they were issued had no money.

Mr. Obanikoro blamed the error on politicians and friends who had visited him in detention and promised to deposit money in the accounts.

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EFCC Goes After President Buhari's New Son-in-Law Over N3b Fraud...See Details

The man who some days ago married Buhari's daughter is in serious trouble as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has gone after him.

Buhari's daughter got married to Mallam Gimba Ya'u Kumo on Friday

 

Mallam Gimba Ya’u Kumo (former MD Federal Mortgage Bank) who married President Muhammadu Buhari's daughter, Hajiya Fatima Muhammadu Buhari on Friday, 28th October, at her father’s home in Daura, Katsina state, is now under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

 

It is believed the fraud was committed while he was the Managing Director of FMBN.

 

 

According to SaharaReporters, Kumo, who paid N100,000 as the bride price for the President's daughter's hand in marriage is said to have been involved in a N3 billion fraud and is now being investigated by the EFCC.

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How Nigerian Man Defrauded Indian Man and His Company N130m

A Nigerian man has landed in hot soup after he allegedly used false documents to defraud an Indian man and his company the sum of N130 million.

 

The EFCC today October 21,2016 arraigned one Laolu Balogun Ladimeji Lakitan before Justice O.A Taiwo of the Lagos State High Court, sitting in Igbosere on a four count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence , forgery, use of false document and impersonation.

 

The accused person was alleged to have defrauded the complainant Pradeep Kumar Mehta, an Indian and his Company Enkay-Indo Nigerian Limited of N130,397,335.00 by falsely representing to Pradeep that the said sum of money represented the cost of Crude Oil Allocation. He also forged documents from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation(NNPC) to that effect.

 

One of the Counts reads ' that you Laolu Balogun Ladimeji Lakitan between January 2013 and December, 2013 in Lagos within the Lagos Judicial Division with intent to defraud obtained the sum of N130,397,335.00 (One hundred and thirty million, three hundred and ninety seven thousand, three hundred and thirty five Naira) from Mr Pradeep Kumar Mehta an Indian National by falsely pretending to Mr Pradeep that the said sum of money represented the cost of Crude oil Allocation which pretence you knew to be false 'and committed an offence contrary to section 365(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2001.

 

He pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him.

 

Justice Taiwo granted the defendant bail in the sum of N10 million, two sureties in like some, one must be a family member while the other should have landed properties in lagos with C of O, must be a level 12 civil servant.

 

She however remanded the accused person in EFCC custody because of his ill health and since he is already receiving treatment there, pending the perfection of bail application and subsequent adjourned the case to December 5th, 2016

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Pictured! Graduate Impersonates Bishop Kukah, Defrauds Oyedepo, Dantata, Others

A graduate of Political Science, Jehu Kwasu, has narrated how he impersonated the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Kukah and defrauded prominent Nigerians of millions of naira.

Kwasu said his victims included Bishop David Oyedepo of Living Faith Church Worldwide, who he claimed gave him N500,000; the Chairman, Honeywell Group, Oba Otudeko, N1m; Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu, N500,000; businessman, Alhaji Aminu Dantata, N2m.

He allegedly collected the sums for Internally Displaced Persons.

He said, “I collected N500,000 from Otudeko, CEO, Honeywell: From Admiral Kanu, I got N500,000. I also got N500,000 from Bishop Oyedepo and N2m from Dantata. I also got money from Gen. Wushishi and others.

“I opened a Guaranty Trust Bank account in Bishop Kukah’s name. I registered a SIM card in my name, but used Bishop Kukah’s picture on my True Caller account, so that when I call, his picture would appear (on the recipient’s phone.)”

Kwasu, who is serving a two-month sentence in the Keffi Prison, admitted on Friday in Abuja that he realised over N5.7m.

Police sources said only N1.7m was found in his bank account, adding that the suspect spent most of the money he made on girls and hard drugs.

It was gathered that Kwasu, the son of late Anglican Bishop, James Kwasu, also exploited his father’s name, to extort money from the Katsina State Governor, Aminu Masari, when the latter was the Speaker, House of Representatives. The 25-year old explained that he defrauded his victims by soliciting money on phone to cater to IDPs in the country.

The cleric’s son stated that he obtained a passport with the name, Mathew Hassah Kukah Jehu, and also opened an account with the GTB in the same name.

He said, “I called people on the telephone and told them I was Bishop Kukah. I used his picture on my True Caller account, so that when I called people, they would think he was the one talking with them.

“I also obtained a passport in Bishop Kukah’s name which I used to open an account with GTB. The money I realised was paid into the account and I used an Automated Teller Machine card to withdraw it.”

Punch Metro gathered that Kukah was alerted to the scam by some people close to him. The cleric was said to have petitioned the police, which asked the bank to place a “no debit order” on the account.

Following his inability to withdraw from the account, Kwasu was said to have visited the bank to complain, where he was arrested.

Findings indicate that Kwasu had earlier been arrested and remanded in prison for impersonating Bishop Steven Akobe of the Anglican Diocese of Kabba, Kogi State, but was granted bail.

The police said Kwasu had also attempted to extort money from Senator David Mark, claiming to be Akobe.

“Mark said I should come for some money, so I sent my girlfriend. But she was arrested and I was taken to court and sentenced to two months imprisonment or N9,000 fine,” Kwasu stated.

It was gathered that the suspect, who had two female siblings, sold his deceased parents’ house in Kaduna for N10m and lavished the money on girls and a profligate lifestyle.

The Federal Capital Territory Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Mustafa, stated that Kwasu was arrested by the men of his command, after Kukah complained about his activities.

The CP said, “We received a petition from Bishop Kukah alleging that the boy had been impersonating him and extorting money from prominent people. So, my men went to work and were able to track the suspect and arrest him. He is a habitual criminal and I would like to advise the public against responding to emails or phone calls from unknown persons requesting financial support for one cause or the other.”

Mustafa also called on the public to report every suspicious phone call and email to the police for investigation.

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Breaking! Patience Jonathan's $15m: Companies Plead Guilty To Laundering

The four companies charged alongside a former Special Adviser on Domestic Affairs to ex-President Jonathan, Waripamo Dudafa, and two others with money laundering have pleaded guilty to the offence, The Punch is reporting.

The four companies pleaded guilty to conspiring with Dudafa and the two others to launder a sum of  $15, 591,700 before a Federal High Court in Lagos today.

The companies are Pluto Property and Investment Company Limited; Seagate Property Development & Investment Co. Limited; Trans Ocean Property and Investment Company Limited and Development Company Limited and Avalon Global Property Development Company Limited.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had since frozen the $15.6m found in the four companies’ accounts in Skye Bank. But wife of ex-President Jonathan, Patience, has sued the EFCC and Skye Bank, laying claims to the money

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Photo: University Student Defrauds 7 Ladies On Facebook

The police in Lagos State have arrested a 26-year-old undergraduate, Ademola Adebayo, for allegedly defrauding seven ladies he met on Facebook.

Punch correspondent learnt that Adebayo, a 400-Level student of Computer Science, allegedly lured the ladies by uploading some rich pictures on Facebook, and asking his victims to meet him at a location, usually a hotel on the pretext that he had deals for them.

Punch Metro gathered that when the ladies showed up at the agreed location, the suspect would dispose them of their phones and other valuables.

The police alleged that Adebayo worked with an accomplice, 35-year-old Toheeb Fetuga, who had also been arrested.

It was learnt that the suspect was arrested by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Ikeja, where one of the victims reported the matter.

Adebayo told Punch Metro that he had defrauded seven ladies of their valuables.

He said, “One of the ladies I defrauded was Rita. She came to a hotel in the Oyingbo area. We had met on Facebook and I agreed to do a deal with her. She was a woman willing to have a sexual affair with me for money.

“I invited her to the hotel and asked how much she would take. She said $1,000, and I said it was okay. I collected her phone. I asked her to come for the money at a hotel in the Victoria Island area. So, she believed me and left.

“I checked the contacts on her phone and that was where I got the contacts of other ladies I defrauded. I was trying to lure another friend of hers when I was arrested. I have done it to seven ladies. I usually meet the young women on Facebook, and it is either I add them or they add me.

“I usually uploaded rich pictures on Facebook, which attracted them to me. Fetuga was the one I usually gave the valuables to sell. He sold each of the phones for N6,000.”

Fetuga, on the other hand, said although Adebayo brought the phones to him, the undergraduate lied to him that the owners were badly in need of money.

He said, “He came to me that he wanted to sell the phones. When I asked him where he got the phones from, he said some ladies in his school were in need of money to complete their projects and examinations.

“He had come about seven times and I gave him about N6,000 for each of the phones. We usually met at different places. He would call and say we should transact business.”

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, said investigations were ongoing into the matter.

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See Heartless Fake Doctor Who Duped Cancer Patient of N4 Million in Lagos (Photo)

This is the evil fake doctor who duped a cancer patient the sum of N4 million naira while deceiving them that he was a doctor.

Nze Charles has been arrested by the police

 

A 38-year-old fake doctor, Charles Nze, who duped a cancer patient the sum of N4 million has been arrested by the police. He was paraded at the Lagos State Police Command Headquarters, Ikeja. The heartless man had claimed he was a dentist from the Calcutta State University, India.

 

Explaining how he obtained the money from the victim's family he said: "The cancer patient is a family friend. I decided to assist them and bring the patient from another hospital. I was treating her as an outpatient. 

“When I commenced treatment on the patient, she was getting better. But suddenly the family discovered that I was a dentist and said I overcharged them.

According to NewTelegraph, Nze further revealed that after the family found out he was a fraudster, they asked him to refund N2 million out of the money he had duped them but he refused.

“It was when I could not return the N2 million that I was arrested by military policemen at Obalende Barracks. The military police later handed me over to the police. 

 

“Three weeks after I started treating the patient, she started getting better. Before I started treating her, she was weighing 33 kilogrammes and could not walk, but now she can walk and weighs 47kg.” he said.

 

One of the victim’s family members revealed that Nze lied to them that he was a medical doctor, but they later got to know that he was a fake doctor. Explaining their own side of the story, he said:

 

“When we first met he said he was an oncologist at 9 Brigade, Maryland and studied in India and London. My sister had been sick for some years. He promised to come and see her. “When he came, after diagnosing her, he told us that she had gastric cancer. He charged us N270,000. He said he was going to get drugs. 

 

“After 30 minutes, my sister, who was crying that she could not walk, started walking. That was what impressed us that he was actually a genuine doctor.

“He said to continue with the treatment, we needed to act fast because she might die anytime. That was how he billed us another $10,000.

 

“I sold my property and also took loans from my friends to raise the money because my parents could not afford such amount of money.

“After a while, he came back and asked for more money. Then, my wife told me that my sister was not getting better but I did not listen to her. I sold my wife’s car and gave him the money.

“Again, he came to demand additional money. It was then I told him to leave the patient alone. I said if she was going to die, she should die because we have exhausted our money.

 

"It was there I discovered he was not a doctor. The military police arrested him and handed him over to the police.” 

 

The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, urged the public to beware of the kind of people they relate with. Owoseni advised the people to go to registered medical centres for medical attention.

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Even The Scam Dey Scam The Scam: Check What This Yahoo Guy Did To His Picker

The suspects were all arrested on Saturday at Ajah, after Henry Ezechie who felt cornered in a $7,090 deal he had with Kenneth Eric aka Biggie, petitioned the police alleging that the others were kidnappers and fraudsters. Detectives stormed Eric’s Ajah residence and arrested Stephen Onwunama, Jacob Chukwuka and two others. Ezechie who admitted reporting to the police said he was angry that Biggie refused to give him his 80% share of the loot. . He said:- “Biggie is the one owing me. We had a $7,090 deal and he refused to give me my 80% share of the money and so, I took the payment slip to the police to report. We do yahoo business (Internet fraud). It was my deal. He is the picker and so, his share is 20%. Picker is the person who receives the money and sends to Nigeria. He has contacts in America who pick the money and send through money transfer. I have been doing this business for some years now to survive, but this was my major breakthrough and he refused to give me my money. It is dating that we do. We use Match, Facebook and other sites.

But Eric, who admitted he was into Internet fraud, denied being a kidnapper. He said: “He gave me a transaction of N300k which did not click and he went to the police to claim that I was a kidnapper and a fraudster. He left what we were doing and started talking rubbish. Whoever gave him that receipt he took to the police was just deceiving him. I do Facebook loto. We tell victims that if they pay $800 they will win $100,000. Most of our victims are white people because they are greedy.” "Hmm, even the scam dey scam the scam"

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Alleged N2.3b Diversion: Orubebe, Others Get N50m Bail

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Maitama, Abuja has granted bail at N50million to former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godsday Orubebe and two others arraigned before it Wednesday morning.

Godsday Orubebe, Oludare Lawrence Alaba an Assistant Director, Ministry of Niger Delta Affiars), Ephraim Tewolde Zeri (Director of Contracts in Gitto Costruzioni Generali Nigeria Limited) and the company were arraigned on a six-count charge marked: CR/265/2016.

They are, in the charge filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), accused among others, of diverting about N2.3b meant for the compensation of property owners to be affected by the Federal Government’s dualisation project of Section IV of the East West Road.

Orubebe and others pleaded not guilty to the charge, following which Justice Kayode Adeniyi granted the ex-Minister bail at N10m and one surety, who must be a responsible Nigerian, resident in Abuja and must show evidence of regular tax payment.

The judge granted Alaba and Zeri bail at N20m and one surety each, who are to be residents in Abuja. He said Alaba’s surety must be an Assistant Director in any Federal Government’s agency, while Zeri’s surety must own property in Abuja and show evidence of ownership. 
Justice Adeniyi ordered the defendants to be kept in ICPC’s custody pending when they are able to process the bail granted them.

He adjourned to November 10 for commencement of trial.

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Sugar Mummy Hunt Gains Momentum in Lagos Amidst Scams by Fraudster

Some young Lagosians have constantly fallen victim to 'sugar mummy scams' organized by unscrupulous people in the city to swindle lady men who want to make easy cash in exchange for pleasure.

 

The Nigerian Tribune has done a concise investigation into the sugar mummy hunt scams that have become prominent in the commercial city of Lagos with ambitious Nigerian youths towing that line for quick money.

 

Along major streets, on pavements beside the roads, on pedestrian bridges, and on notices posted on buildings and walls around the metropolis, there is almost always a note asking you to call a particular number or visit a website should you need a “sugar mummy”.

Even though initial information gathered by Saturday Tribune identified Ebute Metta and Gbagada as the major hubs for the business, residents in those areas who were contacted last week said they were not aware.

“I have lived in this area (Ebute Metta) for more than twenty years now,” said Thomas Nwike who owns a fashion shop close to Alagomeji. “I know there are sugar mummies everywhere in Lagos; but I don’t think that this place is their headquarters or anything like that.”

It is not often possible to reach a sugar mummy directly, as many of them are represented by “agents.” It is the responsibility of these agents to “screen” prospective “sugar boys” and present them to the women.

According to findings by Saturday Tribune, the boys are expected to be handsome, reliable, trustworthy, and “durable” in bed. The more influential women prefer university students or recent graduates who are unemployed.

The sugar boy’s fee is negotiable. Where the sugar mummy takes extra interest in him, she usually “buys” him off, by paying a large sum of money to the agent. For one-offs, however, payment is made per night, and it ranges from N80, 000 to N180, 000, depending on the status of the sugar mummy and the “quality” of the sugar boy.

An investigation, however, shows that this “venture” has been infiltrated by a large network of fake agents who, on a daily basis, con unsuspecting “sugar boys” out of thousands of money.

Most of these agents are active on the internet, where several websites are dedicated entirely for this purpose. Indeed, information gleaned from a number of general dating websites showed that requests for sugar mummies and sugar boys are dominant.

For example, on adsafrica.com.ng, as of midday on Thursday, the category “Women Looking for Men in Lagos”had 1,344 requests, while “Men Looking for Women in Lagos” had only 667.

To understand better how this business operates, Saturday Tribune, posing as a prospective customer, contacted one of the agents and requested help to meet a sugar mummy.

The first agent who identified herself as Mrs Ruth spoke briskly, above what sounded like generator sounds in the background.

After she had determined that the person on the phone was unemployed, young, handsome, educated, and could last a minimum of four hours in bed, she said: “I will get you a sugar mummy. She is a fine woman who is very rich. You will like her. Just send me N500 recharge card. I will use it to call her and arrange for the two of you to meet. The money you will get from her is N80 000, per night. After this call, send me a text message. Include your name, age, location, and the recharge card I told you about. I will call you after I have talked with the madam, ok?”
When she did not immediately receive the text message she had asked for, she called, and when she was told the whole plan was still being considered, she lost her cool.

“You’re not serious. You think I have your time, abi? Nonsense-man!”

A second agent whose mobile number appeared up to eight different times on a website identified himself as Mr Mark. Most of the questions he asked were similar to those asked by Ruth. But when Saturday Tribune observed that N500 was too much for him to use to set up the meeting, he brought it down to N400.

“You see, I want to help you,” he said. “You said you’re not employed, and I just want to help you. Just send the recharge card. Then send your full name, location and the hotel where you want to meet your sugar mummy. I will call her and you can meet her, even tomorrow. She will pay you N180,000 for the night, and you can pay us N40, 000 from it.”

Mr Mark seemed the better choice; and so, the recharge card and all the information he requested were promptly sent to him. Two minutes after, he called back, and sounded quite pleased.

“I got your text message,” he said. “Thanks. But there is a form you have to fill. It’s eight thousand naira only. I will send you my account number. If you can pay early tomorrow, I will meet you at 12pm at the hotel with the form. The sugar mummy will be there too. She is a rich woman; just tell her what you want; don’t be afraid; she will help you. She has companies, and since you said you’re a graduate, she can even help you get a job.”

Asked if it would be possible to pay him upon receipt of the N180, 000, he said, “No, this N8,000 must be paid before you meet her. It is for your form. The sugar mummy will bring the form to the hotel for you to fill. But because I know you are not employed, I can take N5,000 from you and I will use my N3,000 to complete it for you.”

There were several contradictions in his story. At a point he said the form would be brought to the hotel by him; at another he said it would be brought by the sugar mummy herself. Meanwhile, his text message which arrived minutes later read: “Maneger details: Uzoya, Bleep acc 0049288XXX. Bleep Bank plc.”  Strangely, it did not contain the name “Mark.” Even more puzzling, a caller-identity application (Truecaller) identified the owner of Mark’s mobile number as “Bleep Adebayo”.

When he was never contacted again nor paid the agreed sum, he continued to call throughout the day. When, however, he was finally contacted later in the day on Thursday and confronted with all the conflicting facts, he flared up:

“I was just trying to help you, and you are talking rubbish. You have to be a man… you have to be a man… What are you talking…? You have to be a man…” He spoke mostly the same words for a long time, repeating “You have to be a man” many times.

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Remember The Man Caught With Human Hand In Osun? He Killed His Victim, Took His Money & Cut Him For Rituals

The Osun State Police Command has arrested an Islamic cleric, Kabir Ibrahim, for allegedly butchering a 25-year-old farmer, Lukman  Adeleke, and  dumping his remains along the Akure-Ilesa Expressway. 

The police said the cleric wanted to use his victim’s hand for a money making ritual for another man. They are now both in police custody in Osogbo.

A police source told Punch on Friday that Adeleke sold his cocoa and made N300,000 from it and wanted to buy an uncompleted building with the proceeds. But  not wanting to invest the money without spiritual guidance, the young farmer was said to have consulted  Ibrahim, who is also known as Akewusola, to pray for him.

Ibrahim allegedly asked the cocoa farmer to come with the whole N300,000, promising to pray over the money. He said the young man would also have to sleep over at his place for the prayer session. Continue...

He allegedly put up the farmer in a room where he later killed him while he slept.

To conceal his act, Akewusola dismembered the corpse and dumped the body parts packed inside a sack along the expressway.

The family of the young farmer was said to have become worried, when they could not locate him for many days. They reportedly went to an okada rider with whom he was last seen.

A Punch correspondent learnt that the okada rider took them to the alfa’s residence and following rigorous questioning by the police , he confessed.

However, before Akewusola dumped the victim’s body on the highway, he  was said to have removed the  victim’s right hand, which he wanted to use to do a money ritual for his client.

A police source told Punch, “He told them how he killed and butchered the man. The alfa said he wanted to use the right palm of the deceased for money ritual for another client. So he and the client were  arrested.”

The Police Public Relations Officer  in Osun State, Mr. Ajigbade Egbedele,  confirmed the incident to our correspondent on the telephone.

“The case is still under investigation. We will do everything to get to the root of the matter, We cannot say if he  (alfa) actually butchered him because the body was already decomposing as of the time we recovered it but investigation would reveal everything,” the PPRO said.

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N2bn Fraud: Orubebe Absent In Court As Lawyer Says He Is Hypertensive

A former Minister of Niger Delta, Godsday Orubebe, was on Tuesday absent from a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Maitama, where he was scheduled to be arraigned alongside others on charges of diversion of about N2bn meant for the dualisation of Section IV of the East West Road.

Orubebe and others allegedly committed the offences between 2010 and 2010 while he was the Niger Delta Affair minister.

Orubebe’s lawyer, Mr. F. Zimhuan, apologised to the trial judge, Justice Olukayode Adeniyi, for the absence of his client, whom he said suddenly took ill after a domestic accident and was rushed to the hospital.

Zimhuan said the ex-minister’s health was complicated by his hypertensive condition.

The lawyer said, “The first defendant is in the hospital. His absence in court today is not deliberate. He suddenly took ill. He had domestic accident affecting his ankle and wrist. He is hypertensive and the cumulative effect was that they had to rush him to the hospital.

“We want to give the assurance that the first accused will be ready to face his trial anytime he is discharged from the hospital and we pray that it won’t be long from today.”

The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission had preferred five counts against Orubebe, alongside  Oludare Alaba, Ephraim Zeri (Director of Contracts) and Gitto Costruzioni Generali Nigeria Limited. 

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Hmm Girls Be Careful Oh, Click And Read More

A group of internet fraudsters were apprehended by policemen at Koko Junction, Warri, Delta State. | According to the evidences found on them and their confessions, they went to Oyo State for rituals. Read below what the eye witness (Ossai Ovie Success) said:- Mobile police apprehend some group of Ghana Burgers at Koko Junction. According to the visuals and photo of evidence we find out that these guys according to their confession went to Oyo State for rituals. They used two Ecolax buses and boarded the vehicle from Benin and asked the driver to move straight to Sapele. One of the culprits said his name is Simeon and he stay at Uruhakpa and Otefe Poly student. 4152779_re_jpeg77488dd00da49d0d94d921562c9f5e5c During interrogation, they allegedly confessed to making the trip for ritual purposes to make their fraud hustle effective and to make their clients pay more so they can have enough money to Flex and buy benz. “The two Ecolax buses contain the following items. 1. Four used girls pants 2. Old mat 3. Used girls wig 4. Used girls brassier And other concoction items.

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