By Technology Times Staff Reporters
Living large: Screenshot of EFCC website showing the alleged Internet scammers with exotic automobiles seized from them by the anti-graft agency
Lagos. April 12, 2013: The outcome of a sting operation in which eight alleged Internet scammers, including two undergraduates, were nabbed is currently trending as the most read on the website of the anti – graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Technology Times checks today reveals that over 27715 hits have been recorded for the account of the war being waged by EFCC against Internet scammers with the article currently trending as “most read” on its website.
EFCC announced in January this year that it arrested the eight-man syndicate, including two undergraduates, alleged to be involved in Internet scams at the luxurious 1004 Housing Estate in Victoria Island, Lagos.
According to Wilson Uwujaren, Acting Head, Media & Publicity of EFCC, one of the undergraduate, Hope Olusegun, a 25 year-old indigene of Okene, Kogi State, claims to be a student of Computer Science at the Kuala Lumpur Metropolitan University, Malaysia.
EFCC says it acted based on petition by a concerned group that alerted the Commission about the activities of Olusegun and gang at the 1004 Housing Estate where they allegedly engaged in fraudulent activities of obtaining money by false pretence and forgery.
A search conducted by EFCC operatives at Olusegun’s apartment led to the recovery of several items such as laptops, iPad phones, travelling documents, cheque books, flash drives, Internet modem and three exotic automobiles.Â
The expensive vehicles include a Mercedes Benz SUV, one 4Matic Mercedes Benz C-Class Benz car and a Range Rover Sport SUV.
Asked how Olusegun came about the cars, he said the cars belonged to his sister who he claimed lives in the United Kingdom, according to the EFCC.
EFCC says its operatives also downloaded over 80 implicating documents from the laptops recovered from Olusegun while efforts were underway then to track down other members of the syndicate who are currently at large.
Tunde Wasiu Sodiq, another undergraduate and member of another syndicate with close affinity to Olusegun’s gang was also nabbed by operatives of the EFCC at the Housing Estate.
Besides Sodiq, six other members of the syndicate equally arrested included Badmus Akeem O; Ajijola Oluwatosin Emmanuel; Adebesin Olalekan; Raji Resaq O; Ajibola Adeniyi and Adeboye Lamidi.
According to EFCC, Sodiq (23) hails from Lagos and claimed to be an undergraduate of Brandry University, Malaysia.
The leader of the syndicate, Badmus Akeem, who hails from Ayetoro, Ogun State and attended Oniwaya High School, Agege, also claimed to be a traveler who does odd jobs wherever he travels.
According to him, “I decided to move to Malaysia to further my education while I do “Hot jobs” as well. I just got back a week ago before the festive period and also produce music and manage artistes.”
On why he chose to live at the expensive 1004 estate where he and his friends pay N30, 000 daily, he said it was to avoid the stress that friends and relations could bring to him. “I didn’t stay on the Mainland in Lagos because of stress of friends when you just get back from abroad.”
Sodiq told EFCC operatives that the Range Rover Sport SUV which was recovered from them belonged to his mother despite the fact that the car bears his alias, “T.Wizzle.”
He stated in his statement that the mother decided to customize the car plate number after the name of his first son.
Other items recovered from them include laptops, flash drives, internet modem, cheque books and a host of others.
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