By Ado Hassan, Sokoto
The Sokoto Zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday said it has arrested one Emmanuel Adedeji Oluwatosin for fraudulently acquiring retirement account information (RAI)and personally identifiable information(PII) of multiple victims to wire funds into newly created business accounts tied to the for fraudulently created business.
The arrest followed the anti graft agency’s renewed partnership with other relevant law enforcement organs across the world.
However, recovered from the suspect in the swift operation on August 29, 2019 by officials of the agency in collaboration with the FBI are a unit each of E550 and C450 Mercedes Benz models respectively.
Other items on the list of recoveries include Iphone, laptops, a modem and and SIM cards of different networks.
Briefing reporters while parading the suspect , the Zonal Head, Mr Abdullahi Lawal said the suspect who is 31 years old and a graduate of Ecole Serene University in Benin republic had been on the wanted list of the FBI not until arrest in a luxury house Kaduna believed to be acquired through fraudulent activities.
” The suspect and his accomplices both in Nigeria and overseas acquired the RAI and PII respectively.
” The proceeds were converted into crypto currency; Bitcoin precisely”, Lawal explained.
The Zonal anti graft agency Head further disclosed that preliminary investigations by the Commission revealed that not less than N1.44 bn had fraudulently passed the suspect’ s accounts adding that” we have also traced the sum of N70 million invested somewhere. Be informed that EFCC is aggressively making efforts to recover the money as the suspect would be arraigned before the upon completion of investigation.
Accordingly, Lawal confirmed the commission’s receipt of one Muzakri Muhammad from a sister agency for allegedly obtaining money under false pretence and production of fake currencies as reported to the agency by one Abdullahi Ibrahim.
” Ibrahim alleged that the suspect, collected from him a whooping N2,350,000 on pretrext of producing $100,000 for him.”
In the same vein, the Zonal Head confirmed that a Bureau De Change operator, Samaila Sani complained of been defrauded of $33,850 by the suspect with agreement that he(Sani) will buy $1 at N365 from the suspect after exchanging N12,315, 000 for the $33,850.
According to EFCC a thorough search in Muzakri’s residence, numerous incriminating items use ed in luring and defrauding unsuspecting public were found to include charms, toy snakes, cat and a Cockroach as well Snail shell.
” He makes his victims believe he posses supernatural power and abilities to communicate with spirits while in the real sense are classic tricks to deceive and deprive then of their hard earned money”, explained Lawal.
Also in a separate operation precisely on August 19, 2019 by the commission following a petition it received from teaching staff of Sabon Birni local government Education Authority for fraudulently stoppage of their salaries, four suspects, Isiaka Abdullahi(Education Secretary), Abdullahi Idris(Deputy ES), Abdullahi Dadi(Cashier) and Idris Wanbai(Accountant) were arrested.
In the petition according to the Commission, Isiaka Abdullahi is accused of stopping their salaries for several months.
However, Lawal while explaining to reporters said investigation by the anti graft agency Sokoto zonal office showed that the LEA has since 2013, consistently maintained separate pay roll of about 208 ghost workers without the consent of the State Universal Basic Education Board(SUBEB).
” It had been successfully carried out by deducting irregular amount from salaries of actual workers of LGEA and using some to pay off the “ghost” workers.
” Amazingly, such deductions are not made on the original pay slip provided by SUBEB but a different pay slip created by the management called the white pay slip.
” They carry out this by ignoring SUBEB payroll to adopt its already prepared payroll inclusive of the 208 ghost workers”, the agency’s investigation revealed.
Lawal, however, said the suspects would be charged to court as soon as investigation is completed.
The anti graft zonal Head further appealed to the public to for their security not disclose their banking and financial transactions details just as he attributed the rise in scam and fraudsters activities to victims ignorance and the get rich quick syndrome which suspects take advantage of to defraud them.
