CrimeNews

How Nigerian brothers used Tinubu, Dasuki names for N25m scam

Two brothers, Isiaka Olatunde, 35, and Ismaila Olatunji have been arrested for using names of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader, and ex-National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki, to scam unsuspecting members of public.
They swindled a contractor, Ganiuyu Orimoyi, of N25million after claiming they could help him get contracts from the NSA’s office.
The duo were nabbed by operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team, led by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari.
In 2014, Olatunji told the victim that he was an aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s NSA, Dasuki.
The contractor recalled that he met Olatunji through his brother, Olatunde, a POP engineer, working for him at one of his building sites in Kwara State.
Orimoyi gave Olatunji the money to obtain documents for the purported contract but things went south after when Dasuki was detained by the Department State Services (DSS) in 2015.
The fake aide lied to Oriyomi that being Dasuki’s aide, his bank accounts were being monitored and had been frozen.
Olatunji also claimed that he was discussing with Tinubu on joining the ruling APC as this would ensure the unfreezing of his accounts.
But After Dasuki was released in December 2019, the brothers disappeared.
Orimoyi recounted that the scammers earlier swore they were in India receiving treatment and asked him to visit.
“I went to India, called their phone numbers, they didn’t pick. I had to return to Nigeria. They called me again, saying they feared DSS might be using me to tail them”, he narrated.
Later, they told him to make a trip to Ghana, from where they were working on becoming members of APC.
Orimoyi bought ticket, but while in the aircraft, the brothers telephoned him and assured they were returning to Nigeria.
He quickly made his way out of the plane and was held by security agents who ordered him to board again.
“They wanted to know why I stepped out of the plane. I was only released after the plane landed in Ghana. I wrote a petition to the IGP and the case was assigned to the IRT Unit in Osogbo, Osun State. Olatunde, who linked me to Olatunji, was arrested.”
In custody, Olatunde claimed he gave the N25million to a popular Islamic cleric in Offa, Kwara State, known as Alhaji Ismail Mustapha, to prepare money ritual charms for him.
IRT operatives smoked out Mustapha, who during a face-to-face confrontation, denied Olatunde’s accusations.
Olatunde, who later absconded and was rearrested months later, confessed to have lied against Mustapha, adding that he and his brother only collected N8million from Oriyomi.
The father of three confessed: “In 2012, I met Oriyomi, who gave me a job to do for him. We became friends and my brother, Olatunji, asked me to lie that he had links to Dasuki. In 2014, I collected the N300,000 and told Oriyomi my brother had issues with his BVN and that whenever he needed money, he would call him.”
Oriyomi sent money regularly to Olatunji and when he realised he had been defrauded, the victim asked Olatunde for the whereabouts his brother.
“I told him my brother was in India receiving treatment. He flew to India, but he didn’t see him”, he recounted adding that by the time Dasuki was incarcerated, Olatunde had collected N8million from Oriyomi.
“When Dasuki was arrested, Oriyomi started disturbing us for refund. My brother suggested we should lie that Mustapha collected the money for ritual. When police brought Mustapha and I together, I accused him repeatedly until he got tired and accepted he would refund Oriyomi’s money.
“Mustapha wrote a counter petition and the case was moved from Osun State to Abuja. When I realised the truth would soon be out at the IRT’s office, I ran to Lokoja, slept in a garage and then travelled to Sango-Ota in Ogun State, where I started a new life. I was there for some months before the IRT arrested me.”
The brothers will be prosecuted in court soon.

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