EFCC smashes ‘419’ syndicate that defrauded UI prof of N.56m

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) has cracked down on a gang of fraudsters who specialise in exploiting personal data of foreign-based Nigerians to defraud their friends and relations back home.

Four of the gang-members – “Hon” Oladipupo Adebayo, Bimbo Bilewu, Ibrahim Odunayo and Oyeleye Oluwatosi – are currently in the EFCC custody while others have fled.

A statement issued on Friday by the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, said the Commission launched a manhunt for the suspects after receiving a petition from a university of Ibadan lecturer, Prof. Godwin Ekhaguere, that the gang defrauded him of N565,500.

Read alao: FRAUD TRIAL: EFCC alleges Fayose threatened witness to change testimony

The statement read: “The professor of Mathematics, who retired from the University of Ibadan, alleged in the petition that the gang defrauded him of sums totalling N565,500. He also alleged that the fraudsters made him to part with MTN recharge vouchers worth N36,000 in the deal.

“According to him, he only realised that he had been scammed after he managed to reach his friends on the phone, who denied sending anyone to him. That prompted the petition.

“It was in the course of investigating the allegations that the Commission arrested Bilewu at an ATM point where he went to cash the money sent to him by one Pastor Osuji.

“Incidentally, Osuji was also a victim of a crime similar to that which the Commission was investigating.

“The gang’s patterns of operation are similar in nature. One of them would call their would-be victim with the impression that he was an old-time friend, now based abroad. He would claim that he has a mouth-watering gift to be sent through someone who is allegedly coming home for an event. The victim would then be handed over to the ‘home-bound’ member. He would be the one to make all sorts of requests ostensibly to clear some obstacles to delivering the consignments from the foreign-based ‘relation’ or ‘friend’, as the case may be.

“Investigations into the gang’s operations revealed that they have a mobile application used in making a local number appear foreign to the call recipient.

“They also use unregistered SIM cards to make their calls in order to blur out chances of tracing their real identities.

“Another trick to evade arrest, according to investigations, was to open bank accounts in other people’s names and take over the ATM cards from them. They direct their victims to pay into such accounts and use the ATM cards to withdraw the cash.

“The suspects have owned up to the allegations against them, and are now helping the Commission in further investigations into crimes of similar nature.”

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now