Nigeria! Oluwatuyi Bidemi has been sentenced to 84 years imprisonment, Cameroonian lands in Nigerian traffickers’ den, Court Jails Man One Month for Non-declaration of $40000, Arraigns For Naira Abuse 2025.4.4-4.4

The Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, on Friday, April 4, 2025, arraigned one Folake Adeoti before Justice Yellim Bogoro of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos.

She is facing trial on a one-count charge of Naira mutilation.

Adeoti was arrested on March 21, 2025 around Jobi Fele Way, Ikeja, Lagos, while hawking Naira notes to the tune of N3,850,000.00.

The charge reads: “That you, Folake Adeoti, on the 21st day of March, 2025, opposite Regency Hall, Jobi Felé,Way, Ikeja, in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, hawked the sum of N3,850,000.00 (Three Million, Eight Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 21(4)) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007.”

She pleaded guilty to the charge when it was read to her.

Following her guilty plea, prosecution counsel, Z.B Atiku, called on Usman Adamu to review the facts of the case.

Atiku tendered the defendant’s confessional statement as well as the money recovered from her. The court admitted the documents and marked them as exhibits.

While urging the court to convict her as charged, the counsel informed the court that Adeoti “is an ex-convict, who was tried before Justice Ibrahim Kala on Naira abuse charges.”

Justice Bogoro adjourned the matter till May 2, 2025 for ruling and also ordered the remand of the suspect at a Correctional Centre.

In a related development, the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the EFCC also arraigned one Modupe Adewuyi on a one-count charge bordering on illegal sale of Naira notes before Justice Bogoro.

Adewuyi was apprehended in Lagos on March 21, 2025 along Jobi Fele way, while hawking Naira notes to the tune of N1,600,000( One Million, Six Hundred Thousand Naira only)

The charge reads: “That you, Modupe Adewuyi, on the 21st day of March, 2025 at Jobi Fele Street, opposite Regency Event Center, Alausa Ikeja, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, engaged in hawking the total sum of N1,600,000 (One Million, Six Hundred Thousand Naira) of N500 and N1000 denominations issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 21(4) and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (Establishment) Act, 2007”.

The defendant pleaded guilty to the charge when it was read to her.

In view of her plea, prosecution counsel, Z.B. Atiku called on Adamu Usman, an operative of the EFCC, to review the facts of the case.

Usman, while giving details of how he knew the defendant, told the court that the Commission, on March 21, 2025, received an intelligence from an open source on the illegal sale of Naira notes in the Ikeja area of Lagos.

He further told the court that “Upon receipt of the intelligence, a team of operatives carried out an operation, where Modupe Adewunmi was arrested at Jobi Fele street, opposite Regency Hall, Ikeja.

“She had two POS machines and was arrested with the sum of N1.6m. She was brought to the office and her statement was taken under caution. She confirmed that she was involved in the sales of mint Naira notes.”

Atiku tendered the defendant’s statement and the money recovered from her. She, therefore, urged the court to convict and order the forfeiture of the money to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Justice Bogoro adjourned the matter till May 2, 2025 for ruling and ordered that she be remanded at a Correctional Centre.

Justice A.O.Owoeye of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Friday, April 4, 2025, convicted and sentenced one Igboezue Emeka to one month imprisonment for money laundering.

The convict was arrested on February 12, 2025 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos by operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, for false currency declaration to the tune of $40,000( Forty Thousand United States of America Dollars).

The NCS had, on the same day, handed him over to the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos for further investigations and prosecution.

Consequently, he was arraigned on Friday on one-count charge bordering on money laundering.

The charge reads: “That you, IGBOEZUE EMEKA, on or about the 12th day of February, 2025, at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, within the Lagos Judicial Division of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, failed to make a declaration of the sum of $40,000.00 USD (Forty Thousand United States Dollars) to the Nigerian Customs Service and thereby committed an offence contrary to the provisions of Section 3(3) of the Money Laundering Act, No. 14 of 2022 and punishable under Section 3 (5) of the same Act.”

He pleaded guilty to the charge when it was read to him.

Following his guilty plea, prosecution counsel, Nnaemeka Omewa, called on Michael Olayemi, an operative of the EFCC, to review the facts of the case.

Olayemi told the court about the events that led to the investigation of the defendant, saying “ At 1.20p.m. on February 12, 2025, we got an intelligence report from the Nigerian Customs Service that it intercepted the defendant with the monetary exhibit of the sum of $40,000.

“Upon this, I detailed one of my team leads whom I supervise, Lanre Michael, to go and pick the individual and the exhibit from the Nigeria Customs at Murtala Mohammed Airport”, he said.

Continuing, he said: “At about 4pm, he reported with the defendant, the monetary exhibit and the defendant’s international passport. The defendant was in possession of two phones with which he called his lawyer and relatives.

“In the presence of his relatives, he volunteered his statement under words of caution, where he admitted that he was travelling via Qatar Air to Seoul, the capital of South Korea.

“He also stated that he was accosted by Customs Officers, where he was asked if he had any currency on him to declare, to which he said “No “.

In his further evidence, Olaremi told the court that “The statement warranted me to invite the personnel of the Nigeria Customs Service, Ogar Sadin John.

“John, in his statement, said that when he accosted Igboezue, he claimed that he had no money. He, however, said he was skeptical.

“Upon searching him, he found the money hidden in one of his shoes in his hand luggage.”

He added that the monetary exhibit was registered with the exhibit keeper , while the suspect was served with an administrative bail.

Omewa, thereafter, sought to tender the defendant’s statement and the monetary exhibit recovered from him.

The Judge admitted the documents and marked them as exhibits.

Justice Owoeye thereafter found Igboezue guilty and sentenced him to one month imprisonment, with effect from the date of his arrest on February 12, 2025.

A 21-year-old Cameroonian, Awasum Brandy Fru, who escaped the violence-ravaged Anglophone region of Cameroon, has narrated how he landed in the den of human traffickers in Nigeria.

Fru, who spoke with our correspondent in Lagos, said he fled Cameroon in search of safety, but his journey took a dramatic turn when he was lured into the hands of human traffickers in Nigeria.

According to Fru, his troubles began in 2016 when the northwest and southwest regions of Cameroon erupted into violence.

He said he was arrested and locked up by the Cameroonian military forces, beaten up and locked up, and his father had to pay a ransom to secure his release.

Recalling his experience in Cameroon, he said, “I was living in fear of my life, every day was a struggle to survive. The separatist fighters were targeting teachers, and I was no exception. I had to flee to Nigeria to save my life

“I was arrested and locked up by the Cameroonian military forces, beaten up and locked up. My father had to pay a huge ransom to secure my release, but it happened three times, and my life was in danger.”

Fru stated that his family, including his mother, father, and siblings, were forced to flee their home in Bamenda, the capital of the Northwest Region, to avoid being killed.

He added that they moved to the village of Akum, where they lived in fear of the separatist fighters and the Cameroonian military.

Fru, however, said everything changed after his mother was killed by the Cameroonian military as they tried to escape to Nigeria.

He revealed that they buried his mother in a nearby church graveyard, and his father had to return to her grave to take some soil back to their village as a sign of respect.

Speaking further, he said he and his family eventually made it to Nigeria, where they were housed in a refugee camp in Ogoja, Cross River State.

But Fru’s safety was shortlived, narrating how he met a friend, Phillip Kingsley, in Cross River, who later introduced him to someone in Lagos for a job opportunity.

He explained, “I was very excited when Kingsley introduced me to his relatives in Lagos. I was really desperate for a job. So I agreed to embark on the journey. After spending 6 months in Lagos, I became more familiar with the terrain and I met a lot of people including my fellow Cameroonians.

“We all stay together and seek a better life in Lagos. Someone introduced us to Mr Peter Okoye, a Job consultant who lives around Ikeja but unknown to us, the man was a human trafficker and a kidnapper. On February 28, 2025, Mr. Peter asked me and three others to meet him at Oshodi bus stop around 8am.

“We were at the bus stop when three armed, masked individuals speaking Hausa suddenly appeared out of nowhere. They began abusing me severely and threatening to kill me if I didn’t comply. We were blindfolded as soon as we got into their car, and they drove for more than five hours. They used a rope to bind our hands.

“Upon arrival, we were instructed to pull off all my clothes, and they collected all our belongings. I was so scared and threatened. We met more than 15 other people who were already kidnapped, both men and women and they were almost all naked.”

Fru said his nightmare worsened when he discovered that his friends had been killed and their bones extracted by the human traffickers.

“After some days with them, one particular morning they took me to the back of the house and showed me some human bones and skulls; they told me my entire friend her dead. They say their bones and bodies will fetch them money since they refuse to give details of their family; I was really scared.

“They threatened me that if nobody pays for my ransom, they will also kill me and sell my parts too. I give them all the contact information of people I know, including my family in Cameroon.

“They requested 10 million initially, but my family pleaded, and they accepted 5 million. They asked them to bring the money in cash and drop it at an uncompleted building in a bush just as described to them.

“However, on one particular day that they were expecting the money, one of them told me that I am not really free even after collecting the money; since they had all my information, they would return to kidnap me again,” he said.

Fru’s luck shined again when a good samaritan among his abductors helps him, and two others escaped after one month.

Flu explained, “After 25 days, one of the guards calls me and two other guys to follow him early in the morning around 5 a.m. Initially, I thought someone had paid for our ransom, but he said nobody had paid for our ransom and that he’s just a good samaritan who only wished to help us. He said a lot of people were already killed, and we are only lucky to still be alive. So, he took on a bike, and after some hours, he stopped at a junction and asked us to go runaway,” he said.

Fru now can’t live with his family nor sleep at home; he constantly moves from one place to the next to avoid being kidnapped or used for rituals.

Human trafficking thrives partly due to the harsh economy that fosters hardship, hunger, and unemployment; the ignorance of unsuspecting Nigerians; and the fact that traffickers often operate without being apprehended, as the masterminds behind the illicit trade evade justice while only their foot soldiers are caught.

When asked about his health condition, Flu said, “Yes, my health is deteriorating. My friends took me to the Federal Medical Centre Abeokuta where I was diagnosed. spent five days at the hospital. Tests were performed on me for malaria, typhoid, and other STDs. I also went to see a therapist because I still get flashbacks from that horrible event every now and again.”

He urged the Nigerian government to provide him with protection and support.

He noted, “I thought Nigeria would be a safe haven for me. I witnessed a kidnapping in Cameroon three times where I lost my mother before moving to Nigeria, but it seems I am not safe here either. The rate of kidnapping and human trafficking is really high here.

“It was frustrating because there was no one else to turn to. Even a place to stay was a problem. My friends asked me if I would be willing to leave this country and go back to Cameroon.

“I’m afraid of going back to Cameroon; it’s no longer safe for me. I once escaped a kidnapping incident some years ago. My family has told me never to come back to Cameroon again; otherwise, they will harm me again. My next move is to travel to a safer country since Africa is no longer safe.

“I am calling on the Nigerian government to provide me with protection and support,” he said.

This case highlights the ongoing issue of human trafficking and exploitation in Nigeria and Cameroon, with many victims lured into exploitation through false promises of employment or better lives.

Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. There have been several reported cases of human trafficking and kidnapping in Nigeria and neighbouring countries.

A 33-year-old man, Oluwatuyi Bidemi has been sentenced to 84 years imprisonment by an Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti for robbery, attempted murder of one Abiodun Agnes.

Oluwatuyi was arraigned before a court presided over by Justice Adeniyi Familoni on 21 July, 2021 on four-count charge bordering on attempted murder, robbery, kidnapping and rape.

The offences contravened Sections 320, 402 (1) of the Criminal Code Law, Cap.C16, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012, Section 2 of the Gender-Based Violence (Prohibition) Law, No 18 of 2019 and Section 3 of Ekiti State Kidnap and Terrorism (Prohibition) Law, No. 12 of 2015.

The charge reads: “That the convict on 7th July, 2021 at Omuo Ekiti within the jurisdiction of this honourable court did attempt to murder one Abiodun Agnes, also rob her of phone, charger, wristwatch, ATM cards and others, on same date and place did kidnap and rape the victim.”

In her evidence before her court, Abiodun, a civil servant recounted, “I was going to the office through a bush path around 8am, other residents were also passing the bush path. Suddenly, somebody held my neck from behind, I could barely breath when he dragged me into the bush. He tied and inserted a handkerchief into my mouth, he collected my wrist watch, phone, charger, ATM Cards etc,

“He held my neck again and I became unconscious, when I gained consciousness, I discovered he had raped me while my armpit and private part hairs had been shaved.

“At this point, he had left. I saw some people passing but I could not shout due to the cloth inserted in my mouth. I later crawled out where some passersby rescued and took me to the hospital. I was in the bush from 8am to 2pm. When I described the defendant, some people knew him through his identity and he was later arrested by the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC) in Omuo-Ekiti.”

The prosecutor, Oluwaseun Olasanmi called four witnesses and tendered defendant’s statements, medical report among others as exhibits.to prove her case.

The defendant spoke in his own defence through his lawyer, Charles Ayobioloja and called no witness, but prayed the court to temper justice with mercy.

In his ruling, Justice Familoni held that the prosecution had proven the offences of attempted murder, robbery, kidnapping and rape against the defendant beyond reasonable doubts.
The court resolved the sole issue for determination in favour of the prosecution and accordingly convicted Oluwatuyi on all the counts as charged.

Oluwatuyi is subsequently sentenced to 21 years imprisonment on each of the four counts without option of fine.

The sentences were to run concurrently, effective from the date of arrest and detention of the defendant.