Crime / Fraud / Law

Man who defrauded companies of N266m posing as Army General lands in prison

An Ikeja Special Offences Court in Lagos State on Monday ordered that a man, Bolarinwa Oluwasegun, be remanded for allegedly impersonating a Nigerian Army General and defrauding two companies of N266 million.

Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo ordered that he be remanded in Ikoyi Correctional Centre pending hearing in the bail  application.

Justice Taiwo adjourned the case until April 14.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the defendant had pleaded not guilty to the 13-count-charge bordering on obtaining money under false pretenses, forgery and possession of document containing false pretenses. Earlier, the Economic and Financial Crime Commission persecution counsel, Abbas Muhammed, urged the court to remand the defendant pending hearing in his bail application.

Muhammed said: “We received a summon for bail dated April 8.

“While we are still within time to respond, we urge the court to remand the defendant, pending our response and hearing in the bail application.”

The EFCC alleged that the defendant falsely presented himself as a General in the Nigerian Army and collected N266,500 million from Kodef Clearing Resources Limited and DE-Rock Marine Resources Limited.

Muhammed also alleged that the defendant with the intent to defraud paraded himself as a General in the Nigerian Army and obtained N247,500 million from Kodef Clearing Resources Limited.

He added: “The defendant obtained the money under false pretext that the money represented part of the amount expended to press and process his upcoming appointment as the Chief Of Army Staff of the Nigerian Army, a representation he knew to be false.”

The prosecution also alleged that the defendant obtained N19 million from De-Rock Marine Resource Limited.

Muhammed told the court that the defendant committed the offence in 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018 and 2017 in Lagos.

He submitted that the defendant allegedly forged a “Letter Of Appointment As Chief Of Army Staff” dated May 20, 2020 and purportedly said the document emanated from the Presidency.

He also alleged that the defendant forged a Nigerian Army Identity Card with serial number 387140.

The defendant was also alleged to have been in possession …

Crime / News

30 alleged fraudsters in Lagos hotel tried distracting us with naked ladies – EFCC

In the early hours of Tuesday July 13, 2021 a team of operatives from the Lagos Zonal Office of the Commission, acting on verified intelligence on the activities of a suspected syndicate of internet fraudsters carried out an operation at Parkitonian Hotel in the Lekki area of Lagos.

During the sting operation which was the culmination of weeks of surveillance during which the rooms occupied by the suspects were identified, 30 suspects were arrested with 24 of them already confessing involvement in cybercrimes and related activities.

There was no incident as the hotel management served with the relevant Warrant offered access to the operatives, to carry out their lawful duties.

However, in the course of the operation, the Operatives encountered women in some of the rooms who pleaded nudity to stop them from arresting their targets. This has lately become the antics of cyber fraudsters who procure ladies to plead nudity as a decoy, to allow their consort destroy incriminating items in their devices before arrest.  The Commission will not fall for such gimmick which is intended to prevent it from carrying out its lawful duties.

It must however be stated for emphasis, that there was no break in, no molestation and no violence of any kind during the operation.

Yet a section of the media, especially the online publication, People Gazette and the Punch Newspaper, which lapped up People Gazette’s report hook line and sinker, presented a narrative of gestapo operation, with forceful break in and the violation of the privacy of nude guests.

Interestingly, a common thread to the report is attribution to faceless sources. It is curious that citizens whose right to privacy had been so blatantly violated as claimed, would be hesitant to publicly speak about their ordeal. Even more worrisome is the fact that a responsible publication like the Punch Newspaper did not bother to carry out a fact-check on the allegations of break in and violence but simply regurgitated the false narrative of People Gazette.

Also, from the two reports, both the hotel owner …