Tunde Omolehin, Sokoto
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Sokoto Zone, has arrested a suspect, Emmanuel Adedeji Oluatosin, identified in an ongoing computer intrusion investigation in the United States.
EFCC Sokoto head Abdullahi Lawal, while parading the suspect in Sokoto on Thursday, described his arrest as a big success.
He explained that the suspect, aged 31, was arrested after he was traced to a luxury house located in Kaduna, believed to be part of proceeds of his alleged fraud.
Lawal added that the suspect and his accomplices both in Nigeria and abroad acquired Retirement Account Information (RAI) and Personal Identifiable Information (PII) of multiple victims.
“The information was then used to fraudulently wire funds into newly-created business bank accounts tied to the fraudulently created business. The proceeds were then converted into crypto currency, Bitcoin precisely. The suspect and his cohorts were identified in an ongoing computer intrusion investigation in the United States.
Lawal listed items recovered from his residence as one unit of E550 Mercedes Benz and one unit of C450 Mercedes Benz, an iPhone, laptops, modem and sim cards, all believed to be proceeds of fraud.
He said preliminary investigation had so far revealed that about N1,437,889,157.15 passed through the suspect’s bank accounts, adding that the Commission had also traced the sum of N70 million he invested, as efforts are ongoing to recover the money.
In a related development, the zonal head said the Commission had arrested a wanted suspect, Muzakri Muhammad, through one of its sister agencies in connection with an alleged case of obtaining money under false pretenses and production of fake currencies.
He said the suspect was reported by one of his victims, one Abdullahi Ibrahim, after he had defrauded another victim, a Bureau de Change operator, to the tune of $33,850.
“Meanwhile, the first complainant, Ibrahim, alleged that Muzakri Muhammad collected the sum of N2,350,000 from him on the pretext of producing the $100,000 for him, which he had neither produced nor refunded the Naira equivalent given to him,” Lawal recounted.
“However, a search was conducted at his house and several incriminating items which the suspect used in luring and defrauding his victims were found therein. The house was marked by operatives of the Commission.
“His method is to make his victims believe that he possesses some form of supernatural abilities to communicate with the spirits, while in the actual sense of it they are just some classic tricks he uses to deprive them of their hard earnings.”
The Commission also paraded four local government officials who defrauded civil servants on the payroll by deducting an irregular amount of monies from their salaries through State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) since 2013.
He listed Ishaka Abdullahi (Education Secretary), Abdullahi Idris (Deputy Education Secretary), Abdullahi Dadi (Cashier), and Idris Wamabai (Accountant) as culprits.
“Investigation commenced by a team of operatives dispatched to Sabon Brini LGA had resulted in the recovery of several documents and arrest of the suspects,” Lawal said.
He noted that all the suspects would be charged to court as soon as investigation is concluded.