The Nation Newspaper

Tag: fraud

  • Curb internet fraud now

    The increasing wave of internet frauds is posing big threats to Nigeria. It also hinders the performance of internal auditors in tertiary institutions, the Provost of the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED), Oto/Ijanikin, Lagos, Mr. Olalekan Wasiu Bashorun, has said.

    Bashorun said this while addressing participants at the opening of the 16th Annual General Meeting of Committee of Heads of Internal Audit Directorates in Colleges of Education (CHIADINCOE).

    Represented by his deputy, Mr. Wole Ajose, the provost noted that there was the need for a handshake among internal audit of colleges of education, administrators, management, Governing Council and other stakeholders to bring about stronger corporate governance in order to attain effective management of internal controls.

    “There is a growing interest among institutions of higher learning to enhance risk management through better controls of internal checks, processes and procedure. It has, therefore, become necessary to promote the importance of accountability among all professionals,” he said.

    The process of measuring and evaluating effectiveness of internal controls system, according to Bashorun, may be one of the surest ways to improving global competitiveness in our colleges of education nationwide.

    Bashorun, therefore, challenged auditors to always take measures that would strengthen the quality of education services, provide the superficial changes and revamp the quality of education, which to him, “is nose-diving’.

    In his opening remarks, host and AOCOED chief internal auditor, Mr. Nathaniel Eluwande, said: “One of the purposes of the committee is to allow for the gathering of various heads of internal audit in all colleges of education in Nigeria, to discuss issues bordering on internal controls for the day to day administration of our institutions.”

    Earlier, CHIADINCOE chairman and Director, Internal Audit, College of Education, Akwanga, Nasarawa State, Mr. Barnabas Abudu, said auditors are saddled with the task of making regulatory chains to enhance supervisory oversight of risk management, while ensuring internal control measures in colleges of education.

    “The recent global financial crisis exposed a number of governance issues that resulted in failures of educational institutions in Nigeria,” Abudu said, noting that one only needs to revisit numerous bleak reports of risk governance frameworks to fully appreciate the amount of risks in the wake of those crises.

    Nonetheless, Abudu appealed to managements of tertiary institutions  for maximum cooperation that would allow experts express their opinions in financial activities.

  • Fraud: Court jails Igbinedion, others

    Justice Mohammend Liman of the Federal High Court sitting in Benin, the Edo State capital, yesterday sentenced Patrick Ebogboidin, a former aide to former Governor Lucky Igbinedion, to 20 years  without an option of fine.

    Michael, a younger brother to Lucky, got six years. They were found guilty in a N25 billion suit by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against them and their companies.

    It dragged for four years.

    Michael and the company were arraigned on 81-count charges of money laundering, misappropriation of funds, conspiracy and abuse of office.

    The companies are Gava Corporation Limited, Romrig Nigeria Limited, PMI Securities Company Limited and PML (Nigeria) Limited.

    Justice Liman asked PML Nigeria Limited to pay a N10 million fine.

    But Gava Corporation, Romrig Nigeria Limited and PMI Securities Company Limited were discharged and acquitted.

     Patrick and PML Nigeria Limited were found guilty on 10 counts, while Michael was found guilty on three counts.

    Their counsel pleaded for leniency and an option of fine before the judge sentenced the accused.

    Counsel to the first and sixth convicts (Patrick and PML Nigeria Limited), Richard Ahonanuogho, urged the judge to fine PML Nigeria Limited.

    He said the first accused was a first offender and would be 59 in July.

    Richard said Patrick had shown remorse, adding that he would not commit a similar offence, if given a second chance.

    He said: “He has not made any personal benefit from the alleged offence. The court is a court of law and equity. We pray your Lordship to admit the first accused to an option of fine or suspended sentence.”

  • Businessman in court for N35m ‘fraud’

    A Lagos-based businessman, Elvis Ezeani, was yesterday arraigned before an Ikeja High Court in Lagos for allegedly defrauding a Bureau de Change operator (BDC) of N35 million.

    He is accused of conspiring with a convict Joseph Morah to defraud Mr Anwalu Abdulrahman.

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said Morah had been sentenced to 10 years in prison for the same offences by Justice Sadiq Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

    EFCC counsel Aliu Yusuf told Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye that the accused conspired with Morah to defraud their victim on May 25, 2006.

    Yusuf said Ezeani allegedly obtained N13.5 million and $143,620 from Abdulrahman on separate occasions to transfer on his behalf to his brother in Ghana.

    “Ezeani did not carry out the transactions as agreed between him and the complainant after collecting the money,’’ the prosecutor said.

    Ezeani, he said, violated the administrative bail granted him by the EFCC and was re-arrested in February 2014.

    Yusuf said the accused contravened Sections 1(2) (3) and 8 (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud-Related Offences Act, No. 14 of 2004.

    The offence of obtaining by false pretences attracts seven years imprisonment.

    Ipaye granted the accused N5 million bail with two sureties in the like sum.

    The judge ordered that the sureties must produce evidence of three years tax payment, adding that their addresses must be verified by the court’s registrar.

    She directed the accused to deposit his international passport with the Chief Registrar of the Lagos State High Court.

    “His passport must only be released to him on this court’s permission,’’ she said.

    The judge adjourned the matter till June 2.

     

  • Boko Haram is a fraud, says Buhari

    Boko Haram is a fraud, says Buhari

    President-elect,  Muhammadu Buhari has said Boko Haram will be denied a recruitment base when local communities realise that its claim of being a religious group is a fraud.

    “The fraud called Boko Haram can be defeated by denying it a recruitment base,” Buhari told visiting leaders of Nassarawa State who came to congratulate him on his emergence as President-elect.

    “No religion allows for the killing of children. They have nothing to do with religion.

    They are terrorists and we will deal with them as they deal with terrorists anywhere,” he said.

    Buhari said he is pained by the destruction of schools in the Northeast, an action he said could deny thousands of youngsters access to education and a better future unless something was done urgently to avert this tragedy.

    “The worst thing anybody can do is to deny children access to education. That will be destructive to their lives and we are not going to allow that to happen,” the President-elect assured.

    Buhari said his government will help the states to get more money to improve infrastructure by ensuring that all federally collectible revenues are paid directly into the federation account and each tier of government given its due share.

    “As at now, the government does not even know how many revenue accounts it has. We will give all the tiers what is due to them but will hold them to be accountable as we would the federal government.”

    Buhari while describing Nassarawa state as his own “political laboratory”, meaning the only CPC-controlled state of the 36 others adjudged the experiment as having been a success.

    “From one state, I now have 22 political laboratories.”

    He commended Governor Al-Makura for surviving his many impeachment plots, saying “without Nassarawa, there would not have been an APC.”

    ‘No religion allows for the killing of children. They have nothing to do with religion. They are terrorists and we will deal with them as they deal with terrorists anywhere’

  • How Indian perpetrated N32b bank fraud, by EFCC

    How Indian perpetrated N32b bank fraud, by EFCC

    The Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday heard how an Indian businessman, Patrick Fernandez, allegedly perpetrated a N32billion bank fraud.

    Fernandez, along with three of his companies, is facing a 56-count charge of fraud.

    A former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) investigator, Bashir Abdullahi, said the commission learned of the fraud when one of the banks contacted the agency’s Financial Intelligence Unit.

    According to him, in July 2008, he was assigned to investigate the case of suspicious financial activities involving Fernandez and his companies.

    The banks, he said, are Zenith, Afribank, Intercontinental, Union and Wema.

    His investigations, he said, revealed high volume transactions from one account to another, which he said were suspected to be fraudulent.

    Abdullahi said: “Our findings was that he was involved in cheque-kitting and round tripping. It is also known as Lazy Susan, a business model.”

    Lazy Susan, he said, involves members of a business group transferring money from one sister company to another without selling any commodity, using money obtained from other banks.

    He said as, at September 2007, the accused had less than N2million in his account.

    “The volume of transaction was also minimal, starting with N20million. Within the same month, it rose to N600million. The volume of transaction also sky-rocketed to billions of naira within just three months,” he said.

    Abdullahi said the transactions involved the use of “suspended cheques” which did not go through the clearing house initially.

    “If he brings a cheque, credit will be given to him immediately without going through clearance. Because he has a cheque discounting facility, if he brings N1billion cheque, they will give him N800million,” Abdullahi said.

    He said Wema Bank, for instance, discovered that it allegedly lost N23billion to the activities of Fernandez and his companies.

    On how the fraud was perpetrated, he said a high ranking staff of Wema Bank aided the fraudulent transactions.

    The Wema Bank insider, the witness said, “was suppressing the cheque”, such that when other banks asked whether there is money in Fernandez’s account, the official would answer in the affirmative.

    “All the banks will ask Wema Bank staff: ‘Is there N5billion in his account, and he will?’ say yes,” said the witness.

    Abdullahi said the accused person claimed to be involved in oil and gas business which he said was “cash-intensive” and therefore needed to move money from one bank to the other.

    He said the bubble burst when the banks, at the clearing house, discovered that “they were clearing the same cheque”.

    Under cross examination by defence counsel, Mr James Ocholi (SAN), Abdullahi said he did not know the banks’ account officers or branch managers who dealt with Fernandez.

    He said the defendant’s companies were duly incorporated, and that his accounts were opened through “traditional” means.

    He added that Fernandez was considered high net-worth individual and so the banks took him for his words.

    “If they had not taken him for his words, we won’t be talking about missing billions. The accused person stated that a point, he became the darling of the banks,” the witness said.

    He said the investigation was triggered by a Suspicious Transaction Alert received from Afribank.

    “They reduced the complaint to an intelligence and forwarded to EFCC operatives for investigation. I don’t know if there was a petition,” Abdullahi said.

    Justice John Tsoho adjourned hearing till June 16 for continuation of trial.

     

  • Judiciary official bags three-year jail term for fraud

    Judiciary official bags three-year jail term for fraud

    A Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja has sentenced a worker in the probate division of the Lagos State judiciary, Mrs Bukola Adeosun, to a three-year jail term for stealing government money totaling N1,114,000.

    Justice Latifa Okunnu yesterday found Mrs. Adeosun guilty of two out of the three counts charge of conspiracy, stealing and alteration preferred against her by the prosecution.

    Justice Okunnu held that the convict was guilty of stealing N1,114,000 belonging to the government.                                                                                                              The judge, however, absolved her of conspiracy as there was no evidence linking her conduct to anybody as claimed by the prosecution.

    Mrs. Adeosun had been accused by the prosecution of diverting revenue collected on behalf of the government from the public to personal use.

    She was charged with stealing and conspiracy alongside another probate official, Mrs Funmilayo Kazeem.

    They were accused of defrauding the government and the victims, who came for official transactions at the probate division.

    The court discharged and acquitted the second defendant for conspiracy and stealing.

    The prosecution stated that the convict between June and August 2008  collected various sums of money amounting to N1.114million from people,  issuing them original government receipts without reflecting same in the official records of the court’s treasury.

    She was accused of issuing receipts bearing big sums of money, contrary to the official directive, which prescribed any transaction above N2,000 to be paid to the bank.

    The prosecution said the convict collected various sums of money ranging from N4, 000 to N150,000 from her  victims, pretending to help them conduct some probate issues.

    Justice Okunnu held that the prosecution proved  stealing against the convict, despite the fact that she argued that Mrs. Adeosun’s statements, where she admitted collecting the money, were made under duress.

    She also denied ever collecting money from her victims. Besides,  she attributed her problems to her co-accused.

    Justice Okunnu held that her statements were voluntarily made and that the discrepancies in her statements were undoubted.

    The judge said: “The first defendant stole the money belonging to the Lagos State government and she had engaged in unwholesome practices to swindle the government.”

    In consideration of the plea made by Mrs. Adeosun’s lawyer, Justice Okunnu held that the punishment for her offence attracted seven years, but sentenced her to three years imprisonment.

     

  • Ex-Oil Minister Etiebet accuses INEC of fraud

    Ex-Oil Minister Etiebet accuses INEC of fraud

    •APC chieftain challenges commission on Assembly polls results

    FORMER Minister of Petroleum Resources and Akwa Ibom All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain,  Chief Don Etiebet, yesterday accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of electoral fraud.

    Etiebet told reporters in his Abuja home that the governorship and House of Assembly elections never took place in Akwa Ibom on Saturday, but INEC announced results.

    He buttressed his claim by challenging the electoral umpire on why the results of the House of Assembly elections have not been announced more than three days after the supposed conclusion of the polls.

    The former minister, who gave graphic details of what transpired in the state during the governorship election, said he was not aware that the results for the House of Assembly elections had been released by the Commission.

    His words: “As I am talking to you now, Tuesday, the 14th day of April, 2015 at about 4.30pm, there has been no announcement of any result of the state House of Assembly results.

    “These ought to be the results to be announced first at the different state constituency headquarters, usually the local government areas INEC offices. But none took place there.

    “I can prove this from the experience in my local government where the Returning Officer said he was recalled to INEC office and would not be the one to announce the results in my local government.

    “The text of communication between him and I can attest to this and up till now, no result of the winner of the House of Assembly from my local government has been announced.

    “If the results of the House of Assembly elections which were supposed to be released at the local government level have not been announced three days after the election, where did they get the figures they announced for the governorship?

    “The fact that three days after the elections, results of the state House of Assembly elections have not been announced is an indication that election did not take place in the state. They just cooked up figures.

    They are working from top to bottom and that is why it is taking them a long time to announce the results because they have to work out how to distribute the figures they cooked up to the various local government and polling units.”

    Calling for the cancellation of the governorship election, Etiebet said: “This election must be cancelled and I wonder what more information and activity INEC wants to prove that the elections of 11th April, 2015 were not conducted according to the approved guideline and regulations”.

    He challenged the state chapter of the Commission Governor Godswill Akpabio to show the world the results of the various polling units and the House of Assembly results.

    The former minister stated: “They should tell us where and when they carried out the collation of the governorship election results before the announcement.

    “They should show the world any footage of  television recordings of the exercise in INEC headquarters or any other approved place for the collation and to say why there was no voting, no counting of ballots, no announcement and the pasting of the results at the polling units.”

    Expressing his anger about the role played by INEC officials in what he called the manipulation of the electoral process in his  state, Etiebet also challenged the commission to explain why there was no collation of the polling units’ results at ward centres and at the local government INEC headquarters.

    He said about 10pm on April 11, he led the APC governorship candidate, Obong Umanah Okon Umanah, his state agents and other elders of the APC to INEC headquarters in the state and saw the gates locked. Etiebet wondered why the INEC office should be locked on an Election Day.

    He asked: “Where did INEC get the scores that made up the governorship results from? The governorship score is supposed to be the summation of the 31 local government area results. But since these have not been announced till now, what is the efficacy of the governorship results announced?

    “INEC should not allow itself to be sucked into this scam for their integrity sake and so should be honourable enough to cancel the announced governorship result because there is no basis for that result.”

    Etiebet said he had alerted the security agents in the state that PDP agents planned to raze INEC office in Uyo to cover up the fraud of spurious results by destroying the ballot papers and pin it on the APC.

    The former minister urged the international community and local authorities to look into the deliberate and orchestrated human right violations of the Akpabio-led administration, which he said denied eligible voters their right to vote and in the killing of innocent voters.

  • The fraud called polls in Rivers, Akwa Ibom, by APC

    The fraud called polls in Rivers, Akwa Ibom, by APC

    •Party seeks cancellation of April 11 elections

    As you are aware, the Governorship and House of Assembly elections were held across the country on Saturday.

    While the elections went on smoothly in most parts of the country, the situation was different in some others, where all that took place was nothing but mock elections, a mere charade!

    Two of the states that witnessed such caricature of elections are Rivers and Akwa Ibom, where elections were not conducted in accordance with INEC guidelines.

    Because of this, we in the APC are left with no choice than to demand the immediate cancellation of the purported elections in the two states.

    Let me now present more in-depth details of what transpired in Rivers and Akwa Ibom on Saturday, and why the elections in the two states cannot stand.

     

    RIVERS

     

    •It is clear that the script for the distortion of the Rivers elections was written by the Presidency and executed by the PDP, the police and militants

    •As you would recollect, our party’s chapter in Rivers had written a petition complaining of the crass partisanship of the Rivers State Commissioner of Police in the Presidential and National Assembly Elections held on the 28th of March. Because of this petition, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Suleiman Abba, posted three Commissioners of Police from the Force Headquarters to oversee the April 11th Governorship and House of Assembly Elections in Rivers State.

    •As soon as the President learnt of this development, he directed the IGP to reverse the decision and instead requested that AIG Tunde Ogunsakin be posted to oversee the April 11th Elections in Rivers State

    •As soon as electoral materials were distributed, the Divisional Police Officer for Akuku Toru Local Government Area simply handed over the election materials for this local government to the militants. Upon learning of this development, AIG Ogunsakin ordered that the materials should be recovered and handed over to the Electoral Officer for the Local Government within the next hour.

    •Irked by AIG Ogunsakin’s directive, the Presidency ordered him to leave Rivers State within 6 hours and a pliant replacement was asked to take over from him.

    •From then on, unimaginative terror was unleashed on the electorate, in particular on APC members and supporters. It was a straight fight between the police, the militants and the PDP on the one hand and the APC on the other hand.

    •Contrary to the directive from INEC that Card Readers be used for the elections, the machines were discarded in Rivers. This is why the voter turnout for Rivers, as announced by INEC for Rivers, stood at more than 75 per cent, compared with the national average of between 25 and 35 per cent.

    •Gentlemen, because of these and other anomalies, we hereby unequivocally demand for the cancellation of the Governorship and House of Assembly elections in Rivers State.

     

    AKWA IBOM

     

    •The APC fully supports the demand by its chapter in Akwa Ibom for the immediate cancellation of the Governorship and House of Assembly elections in Akwa Ibom.

    •Our position is based on the fact that elections in most parts of the state were not conducted according INEC guidelines.

    •Election materials were not supplied to most of the polling units in all the three senatorial districts.

    – In former Governor Victor Attah’s ward in Ibesikpo Asutan, three contiguous polling units did not receive election materials.

    – In the most of the polling units in Oruk Anam, which is the home local government area of Atuekong Etiebet and Chief Soni Udom, Director-General of the APC Governorship Campaign Organisation, most of the polling units did not receive election materials.

    – Election materials were also not supplied to most polling units in Itu, Ibiono Ibom, Ikot Ekpene, Esisien Udim, Uyo, Eket, Abak, Nsit Ibom, Etinan, Esit Obolo, Ibeno, Nsit Attai, Ikono, Ini.

    •In areas where polling materials were received, hordes of deadly armed thugs, escorted by men in Nigeria Police and Army uniforms, stormed the polling units and carted away the election materials midway into the accreditation process.

    – For instance in Ndiya ward 3, unit 004 in Nsit Ubium, which happens to be the polling unit of our governorship candidate, election materials were supplied but thugs led by the Special Assistant to the Governor on Security, retired Capt. Iniobong Ekong, invaded the place and took away all the election materials. The thugs were later traced to the house of Capt. Ekong, where the election materials were recovered. An inventory of the recovered materials showed that the number of the ballot papers had reduced from 1,571 to 450. The polling officer could not account for the differential. Even so, the Divisional Police Officer of Nsit Ubium later stormed the place and took away the remaining materials.

    •In a meeting with APC Governorship Candidate, Mr. Umana Okon Umana, the electoral officer of Nsit Ubium local government admitted that the election process in the area was marred by security failure, which allowed PDP thugs to hijack election materials and take them to private homes for thumb-printing.

    •Similarly, invasion of polling units and snatching of ballot materials took place in other polling units in Uyo Senatorial District, Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District and Eket Senatorial District.

    •In addition to the failure to supply election materials to polling units and the snatching of ballot boxes, the elections were marred by widespread violence, resulting in the deaths of many people.

    Here are instances of such unbridled violence, as related by INEC staff, party agents and other citizens who saw most of what happened.

    – PDP thugs killed two of our members in Ibiono Ibom when Bassey Albert invaded a RAC centre in the area with over 50 thugs to cart away ballot materials.

    –  The PDP thugs also killed one of our members in Nsit Ubium.

    – Three APC supporters were also killed Uyo.

    – Yet another APC member was killed in Uruan.

    – One more APC member was killed in Ini Local Government Area. This was acknowledged by the Assistant Inspect General of Police, Mr. Baba Adisa Bolanta, who was in charge of elections in the state.

    We have included here some links to pictorial evidence showing the killings and other acts of violence that marred the elections in Akwa Ibom State.

    •In view of the widespread failure by INEC to supply election materials to polling units in most parts of Akwa Ibom, the rampant snatching of ballot boxes and the bloodletting by PDP thugs that characterised the conduct of the elections on Saturday, we as a party hereby call for an outright cancellation of the elections.

    We are vindicated that some local and international election observers have also been very critical of the elections in the two states, with some calling for an outright cancellation.

    The leader of African Centre for Leadership Strategies and Development, Mr Humphrey Bekaren, said in Port Harcourt that the observers were shocked that INEC disregarded the widely reported violent irregularities to begin the process of declaring results in Rivers state.

    He says: ‘’We request all lovers of democracy to join us in calling for the outright cancellation of the phony election.Unless this is done, we would have sown the seed that could eventually grow into providing a shade of fear and death over us.’’

    Also, The Situation Room, which is a coalition of Civil Society Organisations working to ensure credible elections in Nigeria, called on INEC to ‘’urgently take steps to clinically scrutinise the final collated results from Rivers and Akwa Ibom, as well as Abia, against the polling unit results and make a reasoned judgment about them’’.

    It said in its final statement issued a few minutes ago: ‘’In our view INEC should concern itself with possible negative public perceptions of the elections in the three States and ensure that it takes every necessary step to protect the integrity of the elections in the States, as a way of strengthening the trust of the electorate in the voting process.’’

  • Pension Task Team denies N195b fraud

    Pension Task Team denies N195b fraud

    • Buhari ‘should prosecute offenders’

    The former Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), led by Alhaji Abdulrasheed Maina, yesterday urged the President elect,  Gen Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), to ensure the prosecution of persons involved in pension scams.

    The PRTT said pension cabals in the nation’s public service had denied some retired public servants their rightful benefits.

    PRTT, represented by the Executive Secretary of Legislative Watch, Hon. Ngozika Ihuoma spoke during a briefing on the alleged disappearance of N195 billion pension through a probe in Abuja.

    Maina said since the inauguration of the pension team in June 2010 until its dissolution in 2012, the National Assembly (NASS) did not appropriate any fund to the team in its Appropriation Act of 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.

    He queried how the team would have misused N195 billion when no resources were appropriated to it.

    The PRTT was reacting to allegation on the discovery of N195 billion pension fund by the Etuk led Joint Committee on Establishment and Public Service and States, Local Government Administration.

    According to Maina, Alhaji Ali Abacha’s allegations against the PRTT, which comprised the anti-graft agencies and other paramilitary agencies, are sheer desperation. He added that the PRTT had blocked ‘their means of many years of pension fund and compulsive stealing.’

    “The PRTT only deals with paper works to compute pensioners’ entitlements after which it sends it to Head of Service for approval. Nigerians should note that the team is not in custody of recovered funds; the recoveries are executed by anti-graft agency where applicable.

    “The proceedings and findings of the said Etuk pension probe committee was declared null and void by a Federal High Court ruling on 31st March, 2013 as having not met the constitutional requirements of Section 88 (1) of 1999 Constitution as amended,” he said.

     

  • ‘Fake’ Customs officer nabbed for fraud

    ‘Fake’ Customs officer nabbed for fraud

    A ‘fake’ Chief Superintendent of Customs (CSC), Raji Ramoni, has been arrested by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Lagos State Police Command.

    Other members of his four-man gang are: Thomas Adekunle, 52, Ibrahim Galadima, 39 and Thomas Benz, 50.

    Sources said the suspects were arrested for duping a woman of N800, 000, under the pretence of selling her car on auction.

    She said, when her husband discovered she had fallen into the hands of a four-man fraud syndicate, he reported the care to the police.

    Ramoni, a native of Okene in Kogi State, said the desperation to feed his family led him into the illegal act.

    “I was working in Five Star extile Mill at Isolo, Lagos, between 1984 and 1988. I was sacked by an Indian for fighting him when he asked me why I damaged company machine. I have nine children. I was desperate to get something doing to feed my family,” he said.

    Raji said he used names, such as Shitu Musa and Yakubu Lawal, with the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Customs, depending on the job and the customs office they were going.

    He said: “I have been doing this work for a long time and had been arrested three times. The first was at Abuja, the second was at Zone 2 and this time, SARS Lagos State Police Command. We used brains not guns to collect money from victims. The rank is to enable victims believe us and to get respect from all the law enforcement agents.

    “I joined this syndicate because of how my wife was treating me. I was going about looking for job to take care of my family when I met one Lateef Oshodi now late. He told me to bring N250, 000 so that he will give me $1.2 million. I also gave him money to buy chemical to wash the dollars for me. Before I realised what was happening, I had joined them.

    “I decided to use Customs officer as a decoy because I used to go to Apapa, Ikeja, Idiroko offices of the Customs. I also go to Customs Training School in Ikeja to drink beer and pepper soup with my friends.

    “I bought the uniform and the rank for N5, 000. I first bought three stars (DSC); I have three wives but I sacked two because they were not intelligent and clever to my taste. I have three names and operate with two names and the ranks.”

    Adekunle from Itaido village in Ekiti State said his role was to seek out victims.

    Galadima from Makoro village in Kano said: “I am an artist. I have account in the bank and the gang gave my account number to victims to pay in money. Benz acted as a foreigner based in London or America.