27th November, 2015
Kazeem Ugbodaga
Operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) Friday arrested five members of a 15-man syndicate specialising in dollar counterfeiting and defrauding members of the public.
The suspects, Ade Oladele (32), Friday Philip (33), Israel Ibeh (35), Oyewole Thompson (30) and Onyegbuchi Godwin (31) were arrested at Oko Baba, Sule, off Wilmer Bridge around Olodi-Apapa area of Lagos, southwest Nigeria.
The syndicate, led by their gang leader, simply identified as ‘Toronto’ had defrauded Chioma Anozie of N210,000 under the pretext of supplying her phones and laptops.
One of the gang members, Oyewole Thompson, met Anozie at Mile 2 pretending to be a foreigner looking for a marketer to help sell off a huge consignment of mobile phone and laptops.
It was there she was directed to bring money to get the consignment.
“They told me to bring money. I paid them N210,000 and thereafter, I was asked to bring three live chickens in place of a newly born child’s head, a pack of white handkerchiefs and traditional soap for money making rituals,” Anozie added.
Thompson, one of the leaders of the gang said: “I was a clearing and forwarding agent before I joined this gang. I was introduced to this business by ‘Sunny T’. We ‘wash’ money. We lie to people that we are foreigners. Our Chairman is Toronto, while other members of the gang are Emeka, Ifeanyi, Bobo, Onyinbo, who are still at large.”
Found with the suspects were several denominations of fake US dollars and four mobile phones.
The Commander of the RRS, Assistant Commissioner of Police, ACP Olatunji Disu, advised Lagosians to be wary of people with tempting offers, especially as the yuletide season approaches.
He said the force would not relent in its efforts to make Lagos a safe and secured abode for law abiding people.