Stories by Ahmed Ajikobi
The Kwara State Police Command has arrested a 44-year-old civil servant, Ismail Muhammed Lawal and a 52-year-old businessman, Aremu Owonifari for N27m scam.
The duo were arrested for allegedly duping Director of J.B Oye Company, Jimoh Olaiya of the said sum.
According to police source, one of the suspects, Aremu approached the victim with a offer of the sale of a property.
He claimed that Unity Bank Plc has a property, International Marble company situated at Eyenkorin, which he had been asked to put up for sale.
“He told the victim that he has gotten a buyer and requested for the victim’s company account number for the sum of N170m to be paid into it.
“Olaiya followed the suspect to the bank to confirm the authenticity of the transaction, which was affirmed by the bank manager.
“Aremu later introduced Ismail as the buyer while one Prince and Alfa Tajudeen also claimed that the Emir of Ilorin connected them with the buyer.
“Tajudeen then claimed that the buyer had deposited 170m into his account but that EFFC was trying to block the account and so he needed to settle the operatives with N5m. So, the victim paid the money.
According to the source, Ismail approached the victim that a certain man, Chief Banji needed 200 hectares of land for Federal Government rice plantation at the rate of N260m.
“The victim told Ismail to inform the buyers to also pay the amount into his company account.
“Ismail fraudulently collected another N22,550,000m as land agreement and presented fake documents from Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Federal Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Industry.”
The suspect was said to have thereafter ignored calls made to his mobile phone numbers by the victim.
Olaiya reported the case to the police, which consequently led to arrest of the suspects.
“During interrogation, the suspects confessed to have fraudulently collected money from the victim. They claimed to have used the money to acquire a four bedroom flat and Toyota Corrola sport with reg. Number BWR 167 PZ at the rate of two million naira. Investigation is still on going on the matter.”
The state police spokesperson, DSP Ajayi Okasanmi denied knowledge of the case.
…parades 24 for alleged kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism
The Kwara State Police has paraded 24 suspects for alleged kidnapping, cultism and armed robbery in Ilorin at the weekend.
Briefing newsmen during the parade at the police headquarters, the state Commissioner of Police, Lawan Ado, disclosed that six of the suspects allegedly kidnapped one Usman Muhammad of Sabo in Osi, Ekiti Local Government Area of the state on November 7.
According to him, the suspects allegedly collected a sum of N500,000 ransom from family members of the victim.
He added that a total sum of N361,150, two single barrel guns, seven cell phones (including that of the victim), and dangerous charms were recovered from the suspects.
Also paraded were eight suspects arrested for criminal conspiracy, unlawful possession of firearms, culpable homicide and for being members of secret cult.
The suspects are Qudus Alaya, Yusuf Olatunji, Salami Adesola, Sunday Oluwatobilola, Ridwan Musa, Sodiq Bakare, Quadri Adele and John Paul Nditusi.
Items such as one single barrel locally made gun, one double barrel locally made gun and five cartridges were said to have been recovered from them.
Two suspects, Emmanuel Daniel and Lucky Okwudegbo who are reportedly members of a four-man gang that specialise in robbing filling stations within Ilorin metropolis, were also paraded.
The police boss said exhibits such as iron rod, two techno phones, one itel phone and a sum of N38,975 were recovered from the victims, adding that efforts were on to arrest the remaining gang members.
The commission also revealed that Idowu Jimoh and Taiye were arrested for dispossessing one Georgina Okoye of her Honda CRV Jeep with registration number Lagos AAA-362-AG at Asa Dam road in Ilorin.
The victim was said to have been trailed by the suspects with a taxi while on her way to church on the fateful day.
He said the vehicle was later recovered in Ajase-Ipo in Irepodun Local Government Area.
Others paraded were arrested for armed robbery cases and vandalising electricity transformer.
