Crime
Alleged £1m Fraud: Police Witness Reveals How Suspects Were Apprehended In Ikorodu
The third prosecution witness, PW3, in the ongoing trial of seven suspects over an alleged £1m fraud, Giwa Wasiu, an Assistant Superintendent of the Police, ASP has told Justice R. A. Osodi of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos how the defendants were apprehended in the Ikorodu area of Lagos.
The Lagos Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), had on February 3, 2022, arraigned Morufu Adewale, (a.k.a Gbegunleri Adelana), Abayomi Alaka (a.k.a. Dauda Usman Alashe), Omitogun Ajayi and Ajisegiri Abiodun before Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos. Three other defendants, Taiwo Ahmed, Raufu Raheem and Sanlabiu Teslim, had initially been listed at large.
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However, the trial could not be concluded before the retirement of Justice Taiwo.
This prompted the re-assignment of the case file to Justice Oshodi, even as the EFCC intensified its efforts to secure the arrest of the other suspected fraudsters.
Subsequently, all seven defendants were in December 2022 re-arraigned on an amended three-count charge.
Count one reads: “Morufu Yahaya Adewale, Omitogun Ajayi, Ajisegiri Abiodun, Abayomi Kamaldeen Alaka, Taiwo Olamilekan Ahmed, Raufu Wale Raheem and Sanlabiu Owolabi Teslim between May and July 2018 at Lagos within the Ikeja Judicial Division obtained the total sum of £1,000,000.00 (One Million Pounds Sterling) from Dr. and Dr. (Mrs) Lateef Oladimeji Bello for the purpose of conducting prayers for spiritual cleansing of the family and that the money will be refunded after the prayers within one week, which you knew to be false.”
Count three reads: “Morufu Yahaya Adewale, Omitogun Ajayi, Ajisegiri Abiodun, Abayomi Kamaldeen Alaka, Taiwo Olamilekan Ahmed, Raufu Wale Raheem and Sanlabiu Owolabi Teslim between August and September 2018 at Lagos within the Ikeja Judicial Division obtained the total sum of N175,000,000.00 (One Hundred and Seventy-five Million Naira Only) from Dr. and Dr. (Mrs) Lateef Oladimeji Bello for the purpose of conducting spiritual prayers for spiritual cleansing of their son and the family and that the money will be refunded one week after the prayers which you knew to be false.”
They all pleaded “not guilty” to the charges when they were read to them, prompting the commencement of their trial.
Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, N. K.Ukoha, during the sitting on Friday, Wasiu identified the suspects in the dock and also narrated how he and his team members arrested them in the Ikorodu area of Lagos.
He said: “In July 2021, I got a call from DCP Abba Kyari, who was then our team leader before I was transferred out of Abuja. He informed me about a fraud discovered in the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, being handled by the EFCC. He said some of the suspects had been arrested, while others were at large. I was ordered by him to arrest the fleeing suspects. Their phone numbers were given to me; and from there, I got the location of the suspects. Some of my men and I traced them to Gberigbe in Ikorodu.”
Giving further testimony, he said: “ The suspects were arrested inside a house. When we got to their hideout, the suspects attempted to run away. Raheem went on to climb the ceiling, the second suspect too ran away, while the third suspect managed to escape through the fence into the next compound. We jumped into that building and arrested one of them immediately. The others were still missing.
“While my men jumped over the fence in search of the suspects, someone, who was going in the street, quietly informed us that the suspect we were looking for had hidden somewhere. So, we went there to arrest him.
“During this operation, the three suspects who were arrested were taken to Abuja for further interrogations. They were also informed of the reason for their arrest.”
According to him, the suspects confessed to have duped a woman, identified as Dr.(Mrs ) Bello, of the sum of N675 million, after they had assured her of conducting a spiritual cleansing for her son.
Wasiu also told the court that during their interrogations in Abuja, their confessional statements were video-recorded through the NPF Camera and copied on the Nigeria Police laptop computer as well as a flash drive.
The PW3 added that “the flash drive was given to the EFCC, while the suspects were also handed over to the Commission.”
Thereafter, the prosecution counsel sought to tender the video as evidence before the court.
However, the defence counsel, particularly Olalekan Ojo, SAN, representing the 3rd and 4th defendants, objected to the admissibility of the video, on the grounds that the confessional statements “were made under duress” and that “the documents were obtained through the instrumentality of coercion.”
The defence counsel also submitted that the defendants’s lawyers were not with them when the confessional statements were obtained from them.
Ojo further argued that the witness did not occupy the position that warranted his use of electronic devices such as operating a video.
“Is the flash drive a documentary evidence?” he asked.
Justice Oshodi adjourned the case till October 11, 2024, for ruling and continuation of trial.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa over allegations of diverting N1.3 trillion in 13% derivation funds intended for Delta State during his tenure.
Okowa, who served as governor from 2015 to 2023, was detained after he voluntarily appeared at the EFCC’s Port Harcourt Directorate on Monday in response to an official summons.
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According to an EFCC source, Okowa is accused of failing to account for the N1.3 trillion derived from the federation account, as well as an additional N40 billion he allegedly invested in shares of UTM Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).
The investigation suggests that Okowa acquired an 8% stake in a major Nigerian bank to support the offshore LNG venture, with funds purportedly misallocated from state resources.
Beyond the LNG shares, investigators are probing whether Okowa redirected state funds to acquire high-value properties in Abuja and Asaba.
Okowa is currently held at an EFCC facility in Port Harcourt as the inquiry continues.
The high-profile arrest comes as Okowa, who was the vice-presidential running mate to Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 general election, faces scrutiny over his financial conduct in office.
Amid repeated absences from court, the Federal High Court in Abuja has issued an arrest warrant for Hathiramani Ranesh, Managing Director of Dana Air, who faces charges of fraud and conspiracy tied to alleged misappropriations totaling N1.3 billion.
The ruling, handed down Monday by Justice Obiora Egwuatu, calls for Ranesh’s immediate arrest following his failure to respond to multiple court summonses.
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Justice Egwuatu cited Section 184 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), empowering the court to issue an arrest warrant against defendants who evade appearance.
“The defendant is legally obligated to appear, and the court is authorized to issue a warrant for arrest if he does not,” Justice Egwuatu said, setting January 13, 2025, as the next court date, adding that no objections will be considered unless Ranesh is present.
Ranesh and two Dana Group subsidiaries—Dana Group PLC and Dana Steel Ltd—face serious allegations from the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).
Prosecutors claim that between 2014 and 2018, Ranesh and his companies engaged in fraudulent activities, including the unauthorized sale of industrial generators valued at N450 million, which had been pledged as collateral in a debenture agreement.
Additional charges allege the misappropriation of N864 million from bond funds meant for operations at the Dana Steel Rolling Factory in Katsina, and a N60.3 million transfer to an external account without authorization.
The charges, filed by Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Moshood Adeyemi, cite violations under the Criminal Code Act.
In court, government lawyer Mojisola Okeya-Esho argued for the arrest warrant, stating that Ranesh had disregarded court orders to appear for arraignment.
Defense counsel B. Ademola-Bello challenged the prosecution, contending that jurisdictional issues must be addressed before proceeding with the case.
Justice Egwuatu dismissed these objections, underscoring that Ranesh’s presence in court is required before other arguments can be entertained.
The matter is now adjourned until January 13, 2025, with the warrant remaining active until the defendant is brought to court.
In a shocking act of violence, armed assailants targeted the Police Rapid Response Squad facility in Owerrinta early Monday morning, resulting in the tragic death of a female detainee.
The attack occurred shortly after midnight along the Umuahia-Aba Federal Expressway.
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State Commissioner of Police Danladi Isa confirmed the incident, revealing that the gunmen arrived in three Hilux vehicles and opened fire on the police facility.
“Our personnel successfully repelled the attack,” Isa stated.
However, the attackers resorted to using dynamite, causing significant damage to the building and exposing the detainees inside.
During the chaos, the gunmen attempted to free detainees, leading to the fatal shooting of the female suspect.
Unconfirmed reports suggest she was in custody related to a child trafficking case.
In the aftermath of the attack, police swiftly initiated a manhunt for the perpetrators, employing advanced technical methods to track their movements.
Commissioner Isa announced the arrest of one suspect, who is currently undergoing interrogation to uncover the identities of additional accomplices.
“We are making significant progress in our investigation,” he affirmed.
Authorities are calling on the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities as the investigation continues.
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