The Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) yesterday said it had recovered and returned 10,000
Euros (about N2.25million), to F. Mercade, a French citizen, who was a
victim of an internet love scam.
According to a statement by the
commission’s Head of Media and Publicity, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, the fund
was wired to the victim through his account in France on the
recommendation of the French Embassy in Nigeria.
The statement said Roger Balima, French
Police Liaison Officer who confirmed the receipt of the funds by the
victim, thanked the EFCC “for the good job.”
The EFCC said Mercade was duped by two
Internet fraudsters, Omodara Adedapo Oluseye and Adesuyi Ayodeji Adedapo
after he was deceived into a phantom relationship that was supposedly
altar-bound.
The statement said: “The scam was
reported to the commission via a petition from the French Consulate in
Lagos, on behalf of Mercade.
“The petitioner alleged that he met a
Nigerian beauty by name, ‘Kate Williams’ on the Internet sometime in
2009 and they developed a relationship which was to culminate in
marriage. ‘Williams’ was to relocate to join Mercade in France, to
consummate the relationship.
“While Mercade planned the logistics of
the relocation, ‘Williams’, who purportedly did some jobs for an unnamed
company in Nigeria, came up with a story that the company refused to
pay ‘her’ for job done. ‘She’ sought the assistance of Mercade and the
‘couple’ contacted a lawyer named ‘James Robert’, to procure travelling
documents and help her claim money from the company owing her.
“Mercade parted with 25,000.00 Euros,
through Western Union, in processing his brides’ passage with no bride
in sight. Eventually, it dawned on him that he had been scammed.
“Investigations into the matter by the
commission that ‘Kate Williams’ is the pseudonym of Omodara Adedapo
Oluseye, a male student of the College of Agriculture, Akure, who,
however, resides in Ibadan Oyo State.
“Omodara’s accomplice, Adesuyi Ayodeji
Adedapo, assisted in collecting the money transferred by the victim from
the Akure, Ondo State branch of a new generation bank, using forged
drivers’ license
The two scammers were prosecuted on a
two count charge of conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretences
before a Federal High Court Lagos, convicted and sentenced them on June
13, 2011, to one year imprisonment each without an option of fine.
Meanwhile, the EFCC has arrested Ann
Igwe, who was the secretary to a former Chairman of the Pension Reform
Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina.
Source close to the commission said the suspect was picked up last week and had given useful information.
The anti- graft agency is investigating
how the biometric contract to streamline pension administration became
conduit for stealing of pension fund
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