The Nation Newspaper

Tag: dupes

  • Salesman ‘dupes’ customer of $37,896

    A salesman, Emmanuel Onyeador, has been brought before an Igbosere Chief Magistrates’ Court for allegedly selling a customer’s four vehicles valued at $37,896.86 (about N13,7 million) and diverting the cash.

    Onyeador, 40, was arraigned by the Special Fraud Unit (SFU), Ikoyi, Lagos before Chief Magistrate Afolashade Botoku.

    Prosecuting Inspector Nwosu George alleged that Onyeador and his accomplices, who are on the run, committed the offence in Lagos, sometime in 2011.

    He said the defendant obtained a Nissan Titan truck, Mitsubishi Montero Sport 2001 model, Honda Odyssey LX, Honda Accord LX car and Suzuki Grand Veteran XL from Mr. Alphonus Lewis, by false pretence.

    Onyeador allegedly received the vehicles with a promise to sell them and remit the proceeds to Lewis’ account.

    The court heard that after selling the vehicles, Onyeador converted the money to his use.

    The defendant pleaded not guilty.

    Chief Magistrate Botoku granted him N2 million bail, with two sureties in the like sum.

    The case continues on January 31.

  • Agent ‘dupes’ YABATECH student of N75,000

    A 34-year-old estate agent, Sheriff Abiodun, yesterday appeared at a Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court for allegedly duping a Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) student, Usman Oloyede, of N75,00.

    Abiodun, who lives in Yaba, Lagos, is charged with two counts of obtaining by false pretence and stealing.

    Prosecutor Thomas Nurudeen said the accused committed the offence on February 15 at 1, Fatai Ade Street, Yaba, Lagos.

    He alleged that the accused collected N75, 000 from the complainant, as payment for a room near the main campus.

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    Nurudeen alleged that the accused gave the complainant the key to the room, but when he went to clean it, he discovered that it was already occupied.

    He said the complainant reported the case to the police and the accused was arrested for questioning.

    The offence, the prosecutor said, contravened sections 287 and 314 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015 (Revised).

    The accused pleaded not guilty.

    Chief Magistrate K.B. Ayeye granted the accused N100,000 bail with one surety in the like sum.

    She ordered that the surety must be employed and must show evidence of one-year tax payment to Lagos State Government. Ayeye adjourned till February 20.

  • Herbalist ‘dupes’ hotel worker of N170,000

    A herbalist, Ahmed Ifakunle, was yesterday arraigned before an Igbosere Magistrates” Court for allegedly obtaining N170,000 from a hotel worker to make him rich and get promoted.

    Ifakunle, 36, of Atikori, Ijebu-Igbo in Ogun State, is facing a two-count charge of conspiracy and obtaining under false pretence.

    Prosecuting Sergeant Friday Mameh said the defendant committed the offence between March and April.

    He said Ifakunle conspired with a suspect, who is on the run, to obtain the money from the complainant, Adeleke Shefiu.

    The court heard that the incident occurred on Awolowo Road Ikoyi, Lagos.

    It was alleged that the hotel worker usually bought herbs from the defendant. They would speak on the phone and sometimes, the defendant would ask his 85-year-old father to speak to him on phone.

    After a while, the octogenarian allegedly persuaded the complainant to visit him in Ijebu-Igbo, so he could pray for him for promotion and wealth.

    When the complainant arrived in Ijebu-Igbo in March, he allegedly met the defendant’s father who convinced him to pay the defendant N170,000 to buy the things required for the prayers.

    In April, the defendant also allegedly persuaded the complainant to send him N5,000 recharge cards so he could sell them and use the proceeds to treat the octogenarian.

    However, the complainant did not notice any improvement in his fortunes the prosecutor said, adding that the defendant and his father stopped picking his calls.

    On July 11, the complainant was said to be on his way to work when he saw the defendant and he raised the alarm. Passersby helped him to apprehend the defendant.

    The defendant pleaded not guilty.

    Magiatrate Y.O. Arolambo granted him N500,000 bail, with two sureties in the like sum.

    The case continues on August 15.

     

  • Syndicate dupes scores in Rivers

    A fraudulent employment syndicate operating from Bonny Island, Rivers State, has duped over 100 unsuspecting applicants of N5 million under the guise of giving them lucrative jobs in the oil and gas industry.

    Over 40 victims, including five women and young ladies, were left stranded and heartbroken at Escravos area of Warri, Delta State, when they went to pick up the ‘jobs’ promised them by members of the syndicate.

    One of the victims, who simply identified himself as Mathias, told our reporter that he and his younger brother paid N70,000 to the ringleader of the syndicate, who was simply identified as Wisdom.

    Mathias said: “A man, Wisdom, brought us from Bonny that there is a job here in Escravos. We paid him N70,000 on January 2. He said after two weeks we should mobilise to site.

    “After two weeks, there was no job and on January 27, he sent a text message that we should come to Escravos (Ugborodo). He said someone would be here waiting for us and we would be taken to a conference where we would be briefed and given jobs.”

    Our investigations revealed that the scammers used as cover several projects coming and ongoing in the oil-rich area, including the Ogidigben Gas Plant, to defraud unsuspecting victims.

    Our findings further revealed that some of the victims had sold their belongings and withdrew their lifesavings to raise money for the fraudsters as well as to fund their journey first from Bonny Island to Port Harcourt and to Warri and then Escravos.

    “We thought we were making a breakthrough and the journey was one that would change our lives,” one of the victims told our reporter.

    Mr John Anderson, who also doled out a huge sum of money to secure the ‘dream job’, told our reporter that he was approached by his neighbour, who he identified as Gospel (surname withheld) at Bonny.

    Anderson said he suspected that Gospel and Wisdom were partners who preyed on the innocence and desperations of their victims.

    “I think they are both working together because we were all given the same types of ID of LNG or Mobil. We all came about the same time through separate boats.

    “But we all had the same story of a job here waiting for us. Unfortunately, when we arrived at Escravos, it was a different story we met here. So, I suspect that they told us all the same story,” he added.

    The Nation gathered that scale fell off the eyes of the job seekers when they got to the riverside community and found out that there was no job or anybody waiting to receive them.

    One of the five female victims said she was assured that there would be jobs and a lot of money waiting for her when she got to the Delta community.

    The youth leader of Ugborodo, Michael Lodge, said the community leaders were surprised by the influx of strangers into the community last Friday.

    Lodge said after interrogation they realised that the visitors were victim of a scam and appealed to security agencies to watch out for the activities of the criminals.

    He also urged job seekers to be mindful of offers that seem too good to be real