Two suspected fraudsters Johnson, Tuoye busted for duping American woman $75,000

INTERPOL

An INTERPOL officer

By Paul Iyoghojie

Operatives of the Interpol Section of the Force Criminal Investigation Department, FCID, Force Headquarters, Lagos have arrested the two suspected internet fraudsters, Sunday Johnson and Solomon Ogbobine Tuoyo for defrauding an American Woman $75,000 under false pretence.

Police alleged that the suspects collected the currency from the complainant, Elizabeth Martin with the promise to invest the money in a profit making business in Nigeria for her, but that the suspects failed to invest the money in any business and instead converted the money to their use.

Police further alleged that the suspects also obtained one Apple Wrist Watch valued at N300,000 and one Iphone 13 valued at N800,000 under false pretence and switched off their phones.

The police added that when the complainant did not hear anything again from the defendants about the investment, she sensed foul play and petitioned the Nigeria Inspector General of Police, IGP about the matter, who directed his crack team at the Interpol Section to hunt down the suspects anywhere they might be hiding.

The operatives after days of intelligence gathering tracked the suspects to a hotel in Lagos and arrested them.

The suspects were charged before the Igbosere Magistrate’s Court sitting at Surulere Magistrate’s Court, Lagos on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy, obtaining money under false pretence and stealing.

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Police Counsel, Adoga Amedu told the court in the charge marked S/04/2022 that the defendants committed the offence between May 2021 and April, 2022 in Lagos.

Amedu informed the court that the complainant trusted the defendants and gave them the $75,000 to invest in a profit-oriented business in Nigeria for her but that the defendants betrayed the trust reposed in them by the complainant as they failed to invest the money in the any business for the complainant and instead converted the money to their use.

He said the offences the defendants committed were punishable under sessions 411, 314 and 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges and their Counsel, Anayo Agbo prayed the court to admit the defendants to bail in the most liberal terms, adding that the defendants are still innocent of the allegations levelled against them by the police until proven otherwise.

Magistrate O.A. Komolafe granted them bail in the sum of N300,000 each with two sureties each in like sum.

Komolafe adjourned the case till 31 May, 2022 for mention and ordered that the defendants be kept at the Ikoyi correctional facility till they perfected their bail conditions.

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