2025.1.13 He Was Embarrassing The Family By Engaging In Criminal Activities – Ondo Man Suspected Of Killing 14-year-old Son Over Alleged Theft Says
The state Commissioner of Police, CP Wilfred Afolabi, paraded the accused father alongside 24 other suspects arrested for various crimes at the command headquarters in Akure on Sunday, January 12, 2025.
A bricklayer, Elela Monday, has been arrested by the Ondo State Police Command over the alleged killing of his 14-year-old son for his involvement in criminal activities.
The incident occurred at Ajowa Akoko, Akoko North-West Local Government Area of the state.
The 34-year-old father of seven confessed that he killed his son and buried him in a shallow grave for ‘’embarrassing the family by engaging in housebreaking, stealing and other criminal activities.”
The state Commissioner of Police, CP Wilfred Afolabi, paraded the accused father alongside 24 other suspects arrested for various crimes at the command headquarters in Akure on Sunday, January 12, 2025.
“On the 30th of December, the police received an anonymous call that one Elela Monday living in Ajowa Akoko k!lled his 14-year-old son named Tope Elela and buried him in a shallow grave under a banana tree behind his house,” the CP stated.
“The suspect was arrested, and during interrogation, he said the boy was always involved in criminal activities and was embarrassing him, so in order to put a stop to the disgrace, he and his wife decided to k!ll the boy.”
Speaking with journalists, Elela said he only beat his son and didn’t intend to k!ll him.
“I did not know that the boy would die when I beat him in the night after he escaped from the custody of the State Security Network codename Amotekun,” Elela said.
He added that he usually handed over the late son to Amotekun or vigilante groups whenever he was arrested for stealing or other criminal activities for punishment.
Elela, however, noted that his wife took to her heels alongside other children when she got to know about his arrest.
“The deceased had escaped from Amotekun’s detention and was embarrassing the family as a result of criminal activities he engaged in. When he came back, we beat him and went to sleep. The following morning, his siblings discovered that he was d3ad and I decided to bury him under a banana tree,” he narrated.
—
2025.1.10 EFCC Arrests 105 Suspected Internet Fraudsters in Abuja
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, acting on intelligence on emerging internet crimes involving foreigners, on Thursday, January 9, 2025 broke another syndicate of fraudsters specializing in hotel review job scam, targeting mostly United Kingdom victims.
They arrested 105 suspects comprising four Chinese and 101 Nigerians at Naka Hall Plaza in Abutu Garba Street, Gudu, Abuja. 100 compact Work Stations were recovered from the suspects.
How the Fraud Works:
Hotel Review Job Scam is a globally- entrenched internet-related fraud that is newly appearing on the Nigerian space.
The modus operandi involves Chinese who usually recruit local and computer-savvy Nigerians as Customer Service Representatives.
The Representatives are made to work on a prepared template of criminality online. They are given identities and names usually foreign, through which they chat with expatriates. The crime involves making false representation to victims to win their trust to engage in hotel ratings with promises of $5 for every hotel that is reviewed. As the victims get paid, they are encouraged to review more hotels and the payment is increased to $10 per rating. After a long while, the victim is encouraged to make bookings in any of the rated hotels for as much as $500 and that the company would pay back with chunky interest into a crypto wallet bearing their names. After making bookings, the victim would not be able to open the wallet and his or her money is lost.
The fraud is an intricate mechanism of defrauding foreigners and it is targeted at victims in Europe and other parts of the world.
We are working with other law enforcement agencies across the world to dig deeper into the global dimensions involved in this crime.
Abuja Arrest; a Further Intelligence Connected to the Lagos 792 Fraudsters
The EFCC achieved this latest breakthrough barely a month after 792 suspected investment and internet fraudsters were arrested by operatives of the Commission on Tuesday, December 10, 2024. They were arrested at an edifice known as Big Leaf Building at No 7, Oyin Jolayemi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. This is almost concluded and the suspects will be charged to court in the coming days.
2025.1.9 Billionaire Internet Fraudster Bags Two Years in Abuja
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has secured the conviction of one Chima Hyginus Nkwocha, a.k.a “Young Billionaire,” for cheating by impersonation and money laundering.
He was jailed on Tuesday, December 31, 2024.
Nkwocha was arraigned before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja, on a two-count charge bordering on cheating by impersonation and money laundering.
One of the counts read: “That you, Chima Hyginus Nkwocha (AKA Frank Nils, Frank Cobert, Frank Brown & Chettot), sometime in 2022 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did fraudulently impersonate Frank Nils, Frank Cobert, Frank Brown, and Chiress Riffatt on Gmail and Google Voice using the Gmail addresses frankcorbett272@gmail.com and chriressrifatt@gmail.com with intent to defraud, fraudulently obtaining a cumulative sum of Three Hundred and Forty-Five Thousand Dollars ($345,000) from Linda Wheeler, an American, and receiving the naira equivalent through Ginux Global Nigeria Limited with account No. 1228782493 domiciled in Zenith Bank, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 22(2) of the Cyber Crimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015 and punishable under Section 22(4) of the Act.”
The defendant pleaded guilty to the charges when they were read to him.
Following his guilty plea, prosecution counsel, Lanre Adeola Olariwaju, reviewed the case against Nkwocha and prayed the court to convict him accordingly.
According to Olariwaju, the convict was arrested in August 2024 at the Lugbe area of Abuja following an intelligence received by the EFCC’s Advanced Fee Fraud Section. Items recovered during his arrest included: A black Mercedes Benz ML 350 with registration no. B-2 and Chassis no. 4JGDA5HB9DA105827, two gold necklaces with pendants, one gold bracelet, $2,200 cash, N90,280,934.00 in the Ginux Global Nigeria Ltd Zenith Bank (account no. 1228782493), for which Nkwocha was the sole signatory.
A three-bedroom terrace duplex at Cookies Court 2, 2nd Avenue, Ocean Palm Estate, Ogombo, Sangotedo, Ajah, Lagos, a three-bedroom bungalow and two self-contained apartments situated on Plot B023, Standard Estate, Galadima, Abuja, and a plot of land measuring about 300 square meters at Eko Beach City, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos, two Zenith Bank drafts worth N5,000,000 and N3,000,000, dated September 12, 2024, and October 17, 2024, respectively. An iPhone 13 Pro Max, a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, and a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Nkwocha also confessed to impersonating Frank Nils, Frank Cobert, Frank Brown, and Chiress Riffatt using gmail and google voice to defraud Linda Wheeler, an American, of $345,000. He received the naira equivalent through Ginux Global Nigeria Ltd’s Zenith Bank account.
Olariwaju tendered several pieces of evidence, including the defendant’s extrajudicial statements, electronic devices, forensic investigation reports, among others . The defence raised no objections and the court admitted all evidence as exhibits.
Justice Nwite, satisfied with the EFCC’s submissions, found Nkwocha guilty. The court sentenced him to two years’ imprisonment with an option of a fine of N2,000,000.
Additionally, the court ordered the forfeiture of the following items, being proceeds of crime, to the Federal Government of Nigeria: a black Mercedes Benz ML 350, gold jewelry and $2,200 cash, N90,280,934.00 in the Ginux Global Nigeria Ltd Zenith Bank account, properties in Lagos, Abuja, and Lekki, the Zenith Bank drafts and the electronic devices recovered from the convict.
Nkwocha’s journey to the Correctional Centre began when he was arrested for internet fraud. He was charged to court and pleaded guilty to two-count charges raised against him.
The court thereafter found him guilty and sentenced him to two years imprisonment. The court ordered the forfeiture of all he fraudulently amassed to the government
The Nigeria Police Force on Sunday said its operatives in Ebonyi State arrested 17 suspects over the murder of one Uromchi Okorocha who was accused of killing several people through the use of witchcraft in the Enohia Itim village, Afikpo Local Government Area of the state.
This is just as police operatives in Imo State killed two kidnappers in a gun duel leading to the rescue of four victims.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, in a statement on Sunday, noted that the suspects in Ebonyi were arrested on January 3 after they mobilised themselves, apprehended the accused, and resorted to setting him ablaze before the arrival of a police team.
Adejobi said, “On January 3, 2025, police operatives attached to the Ebonyi State Command arrested 17 suspects in Enohia Itim village, Afikpo LGA for the murder of one Uromchi Okorocha ‘m’, who was accused by local youths of being involved in the killing of several individuals through alleged witchcraft and spiritual means.
“The suspects had mobilised and apprehended the deceased, but instead of handing him over to legal authorities and committing to the rule of law, they decided to take laws into their own hands, becoming judge, jury and executioner.
“The police operatives of the Uwanna Division mobilised tactical teams to the scene on a rescue mission but the angry mob had already killed and burnt Mr Okorocha before the arrival of the police team.”
He added that police operatives in Imo were able to rescue four persons who were taken hostage by some suspected kidnappers in the Ohaji LGA during a gun duel that led to the deaths of two of the suspected kidnappers.
According to the FPRO, the operation was carried out on Saturday following an intelligence report that led the police to locate the hideout of the suspected kidnappers.
Adejobi continued, “The operation was carried out on Saturday, January 4, 2025, after the operatives received a distress call reporting the abduction of four persons in Umuokanne, Ohaji LGA, Imo State.
“The police operatives swiftly swung into action, locating the criminal hideout and engaging the kidnappers in a fierce gun duel, during which two of the kidnappers were neutralised.
“The success of the operation led to the rescue of the four victims and the recovery of 1 Ak-47 rifle, 1 Ak-47 magazine and 21 rounds of live 7.62mm ammunition.”
Two suspects have been arrested with large quantities of Indian hemp and other hard drugs in Adamawa State.
The state command of the Nigeria Police, which made the arrest, said in a statement on Friday evening that raiding operations led to their arrest in Malabu town, in Fufore Local Government Area.
“Two suspects who are into smoking, taking and selling of Indian hemp and hard drugs were arrested and a large quantity of the Indian hemp and hard drugs were recovered,” the command stated.
In the statement signed by police spokesperson Suleiman Nguroje, the command gave the names of the suspects as Idris Muhammad, 34 years old, and Auwal Kabiru, 24.
The command said the two are now in its custody, aiding investigation.
2025.1.2 Kano Police Bust 19-Year-Old Female-Led Theft Syndicate, Arrest 5 Suspects
Kano Police Bust 19-Year-Old Female-Led Theft Syndicate, Arrest 5 Suspects
The Kano State Police Command has dismantled a female-led syndicate involved in stealing mobile phones and defrauding victims, arresting five suspects in the process.
The operation, led by a special intervention squad, resulted in the arrest of the ring leader, 19-year-old Shamsiyya Adamu, a resident of Brigade Quarters, Kano, on December 21, 2024.
In a press statement, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Haruna Abdullahi Kiyawa, disclosed that the syndicate had been operating in the Unguwa Uku area and other parts of Kano throughout 2024.
“The State Commissioner of Police, Salman Dogo Garba, directed the deployment of a special team to track and apprehend the suspects following numerous reports of stolen mobile phones and related fraud,” Kiyawa stated.
The syndicate, according to the police, specialized in breaking into residential homes to steal mobile phones. They also employed a tricycle operator and a cybercriminal to aid their illicit activities.
“Victims, mostly housewives, were deceived and robbed of their phones, after which the syndicate used the stolen devices to withdraw money from their bank accounts,” said Kiyawa.
Other suspects arrested included Idris Yusuf (23), a tricycle operator who facilitated transportation during the thefts; Al’asan Dahiru (24) who is responsible for disposing of stolen items; Abdulmajid Haruna (27), the buyer of stolen goods; and Salim Auwalu (21), who is the expert in defrauding victims through their bank accounts.
It was gathered that Six stolen mobile phones have been recovered so far, while investigations are ongoing to retrieve more items.
SP Kiyawa revealed that at least 30 victims, including 29 women and one man, have filed complaints against Shamsiyya.
“The suspect has confessed to multiple thefts and fraud cases committed in 2024,” Kiyawa confirmed.
The suspects will be charged to court after the conclusion of investigations, the police assured.
A fire outbreak has caused significant damage to the Okokomaiko police station and surrounding buildings in Lagos, according to the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency.
Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, permanent secretary of LASEMA, said in a statement that a diesel tanker caught fire near the police station.
Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, LASEMA’s permanent secretary, reported that the fire originated from a diesel tanker carrying 10,000 litres of fuel. He said the tanker caught fire while supplying diesel to a network mast near the police station.
Oke-Osanyintolu said the fire quickly spread to nearby structures, engulfing offices in the police station, three bungalows, and parts of a nearby hotel.
The statement said, “Following distress calls received via the 767/112 Toll-Free Emergency Lines at 12:38 hrs, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, activated the State’s Emergency Response Plans and its Emergency Response Team from the Igando Base,” the statement reads.
“Upon arrival at the incident scene, a loaded diesel tanker (registration number unknown) was found to have caught fire at the aforementioned location.
“Further investigation revealed that the diesel tanker, laden with 10,000 litres of diesel, was supplying a network mast at the aforesaid location when it caught fire while discharging its contents.
“However, the fire reportedly spread to adjoining buildings, one of which is Okokomaiko police station, due to negligence. No loss of lives nor injuries were sustained as a result of the fire incident.
“Three bungalows were completely burnt down when the fire reignited, with household properties worth hundreds of thousands of naira were affected. One lock-up shop and four containerised shops were also burnt down.
“A generator house of an unknown hotel and their kitchen was also affected. Cables of the PHCN transformer nearby were also affected.”
Oke-Osanyintolu said emergency response teams, including LASEMA, LASTMA, the fire service, the Nigerian Army, and the police, worked together to contain the incident.
2024.12.29 Christmas: Police Arrest 15 In Bauchi For Various Criminal Offences
BAUCHI – Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, Bauchi State command has said that it arrested 15 suspected criminals for allegedly committing various criminal offences during the Christmas celebration.
This was as the police recovered 18 different types of mobile phone devices and other household items.
The arrest followed the directives of the Commissioner of Police in the State, CP Auwal Musa Mohammed which led to achieving the significant success in promoting a safe and enjoyable festive season for the residents.
Accordingly, the patrol unit from the GRA Divisional Police Station in collaboration with quasi-security outfits, led by the Divisional Police Officer, CSP Holman Simon, successfully apprehended the suspects engaged in criminal activities, including criminal conspiracy, theft, housebreaking, and criminal misappropriation.
A statement by SP Ahmed Wakili, Police Public Relations Officer for the Bauchi State command, said on December 25, 2024, at about 03:00 hours, the team effectively thwarted an attempted burglary at a shop located in the Wuntin Dada area.
SP Wakili said upon noticing the presence of Police operatives, the suspects attempted to evade capture by fleeing to their rented accommodation, adding however, that the officers promptly pursued and secured their arrests.
The spokesperson of the police said that the suspects apprehended during the operation included; Adamu Umar AKA Bangis, 20 years old, Sadik Inuwa AKA Riders, 20 years old, Ukasha Saleh AKA Baushe, 20 years old, Abba Musa AKA Mankuli, 18 years old, Abdulrashid Ismail AKA Over, 18 years old and Ya’u Abubakar AKA Balati, 18 years old.
Others are; Mustapha Musa AKA Rodi, 18 years old, Yunusa Abubakar AKA Dan Bazawara, 18 years old, Ukasha Abubakar, 19 years old, Ya’u Usman, 19 years old, Iliyasu Shehu, 20 years old, Sani Ya’u, 20 years old, Moh’d Suleman, 23 years old and Idris Halisu, 18 years old who are all residents of Wuntin Dada, Bauchi.
SP Wakili further said that during the operation, the team successfully recovered a variety of items suspected to be stolen, which included: eight assorted knives, two electric stabilizers, two car batteries, three cartons of Maltina, one carton of Fearless Juice, one carton of Coca-Cola, one carton of Miranda, 50 bottles of cough syrup, four pillows, three mattresses, three prayer mats, two cooking pots, two food flasks and various other household items.
According to Wakili; “Furthermore, based on credible intelligence, officers arrested 14-year-old Usman Ali from the Sabuwar Kasuwa area. It was alleged that he broke into a mobile phone shop after seeking employment in Magama Gumau, resulting in the theft of 18 mobile phones.
“Following a tip-off, he was apprehended in Bauchi, and the stolen items were successfully recovered. The owner of the shop has been notified of the return of the items. All suspects will undergo profiling and appropriate legal proceedings,” he said.
—
2024.12.27 Nigeria Police Force
PRESS RELEASE
CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS: POLICE ARREST 23 SUSPECTED ARMED ROBBERS, HOODLUMS, KIDNAPPER, RECOVER DANGEROUS WEAPONS.
As IGP Commends Officers for Vigilance, Commitment to Safety.
In furtherance of the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM., to commands and formations to emplace unalloyed anti crime strategies towards ensuring adequate safety and security during this festive period, operatives of the Nigeria Police Force across several states in the country have successfully apprehended multiple groups of armed robbers, cultists and hoodlums targeting fun seekers and engaging in gangsterism during Christmas celebrations.
On the 25th of December 2024, at about 1am, the police operatives attached to Lagos State Command, received a distress call that a group of hoodlums armed with dangerous weapons was operating around the Safejo area of Amukoko, Lagos State. The swift response by the police operatives to the scene led to the arrest of 3 of the suspected hoodlums identified as Emmanuel Okoli ‘m’, 20 years, Ogunde Tejiri ‘m’, 20 years, and Emmanuel Orji ‘m’, 18 years, and also the recovery of the weapons they had used in carrying out robbery attacks on innocent funseekers in the area. The police have emplaced intensified searches to apprehend the fleeing members of the gang.
In a similar development, Police Operatives attached to Saminaka Division of the Kaduna State Command on 25th December 2024, at about 8pm, successfully apprehended one Sule Muhammad ‘m’, 25 years, who has been actively involved in multiple kidnapping incidents within the Saminaka area. Further investigation led to the recovery of a fabricated AK-47 rifle from the suspect. The suspect confessed to being a member of a notorious kidnapping gang who had been evading arrest since the arrest of other gang members on August 16, 2024, until his recent arrest on 25th December 2024. Following cooperation received from Muhammad, efforts are in top gear to apprehend other members of his gang and recover more arms and ammunition in their identified camp. Commendable efforts of the Nigeria Police Operatives have also been witnessed in states including Delta, Ogun Katsina, Benue, FCT and Imo, leading to the arrests of several suspects in various locations during the Christmas celebration period.
ACP OLUMUYIWA ADEJOBI, mnipr, mipra, fCAI,
FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER
FORCE HEADQUARTERS,
ABUJA.
27TH DECEMBER 2024.
—
2024.12.22 Over 25 million phones stolen in one year – FG
The Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey report of the National Bureau of Statistics, a Federal Government agency, shows that Nigeria recorded 25.35 million phone theft cases between May 2023 and April 2024.
According to the report, this was the most common type of crime within the period under review.
The report read, “The number of crimes experienced by individuals in Nigeria was analysed over a period of time. The results show that theft of phones (25,354,417) was the most common crime experienced by individuals, followed by consumer fraud (12,107,210) and assault (8,453,258). However, hijacking of cars (333,349) was the least crime experienced by individuals within the reference period.”
It also noted that most phone theft cases occurred either at home or in a public place, and about 90 per cent of such cases were reported to the police.
Despite the high rate of the incident being reported, only about 11.7 per cent of the reported stolen phones were recovered within this period.
The report noted, “Phone theft is the most common individual crime experienced with a prevalence rate of 13.8 per cent and estimated with 25 million cases in the reference period.
“In terms of location, seven out of phone thefts occurred either at home or in a public place. About 90 per cent of phone thefts were reported to police, out of which 50 per cent of individuals expressed satisfaction with the police response.
“Although, 11.7 per cent of reported stolen phones were recovered.”
The report further showed that about 17.97 million Nigerians experienced phone theft in one year, with about 16.9 million being male and the rest being female.
Also, about four per cent of the affected Nigerians experienced repeated phone theft, according to the report.
Generally, the report noted that the total number of individual crime incidents in Nigeria was estimated at 55.16 million, affecting individuals across various demographics in the country.
It added that most of these incidents were experienced by males, which accounted for 33.59 million of the total crimes, while females experienced a total of 21.58 million crimes.
The report further showed that five per cent of individuals experienced multiple crimes in Nigeria.
Further analysis based on age group showed that individuals aged 45-54 years (7.1 per cent) were mostly affected while 15-24 years (3.4 per cent) were least affected.
The report also noted that multiple victimization was experienced more by the male population (6.6 per cent) than females with 3.7 per cent.
It also noted that the North-West region had the highest incidence of crime, with 14.4 million cases reported, followed by the North-Central region with 8.8 million incidents.
In contrast, the South-East region reported the least crime, with 6.18 million incidents.
The report also revealed that rural areas were more affected by crime than urban areas, with 26.53 million crime incidents in rural households compared to 25.36 million in urban areas.
The report also questioned the effectiveness of Nigeria’s security agencies, particularly the police, in responding to emergencies.
Only 33.1 per cent of Nigerians reported that security agencies responded to emergency calls within 30 minutes.
The survey revealed that approximately four out of 10 households interacted with state or local security forces during the survey period, with half of these households contacting the Nigerian Police.
However, satisfaction with police responses was notably low, especially in cases of livestock and crop theft, where only 42.9 per cent and 42.4 per cent of victims expressed satisfaction, respectively.
In many rural areas, local vigilante groups were seen as a more reliable security source.
—
发表回复