EFCC arrests banker for N18m fraud, five others for internet scam
By The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Benin Zonal office, has arrested a staff of First Bank of Nigeria Plc, Philips Orumade, for allegedly stealing the sum of Eighteen Million, Nine Hundred Thousand naira (N18, 900,000) from the bank.
According to a statement issued on Tuesday by the Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, Orumade, who was said to be in charge of ATM gallery keys at Aduwawa branch of the bank, on November 3, 2019 allegedly disappeared with the said amount and efforts to trace him proved abortive.
According to the bank, the suspect was captured by the CCTV footage, walking into the ATM gallery, before using a nylon bag to cover the CCTV. The suspect has been on the run and was recently apprehended in Lagos.
He has made useful statements and will soon be charged to court as soon as investigations are completed, the EFCC said.
Read also: EFCC Recovers N303.8 million from suspects in Benin
Meanwhile the Lagos Zonal Office of the EFCC has arrested five alleged internet fraudsters, including one Adedamola Adewale, a self-acclaimed social media influencer, for their alleged involvement in internet-related fraud.
The EFCC said in the statement that the five suspects were apprehended in different areas of Lagos during a raid by operatives.
“While Adewale, 20, and his accomplice, Lamina Hamzat Ajibola, were arrested at the Agungi area of Lekki, Lagos State, the trio of Israel Onyebuchi, Emmanuel Olayode and Valentine Nwokorie were picked up at the Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos State.
“The arrest of Adewale and Ajibola was sequel to intelligence linking them to online fraudulent activities with two brothers, Lasisi Wasiu Adeleke and Lasisi Riliwan Adeniyi, who are at large. They were arrested at a four-bedroom duplex belonging to the two run-away fraudsters. Intelligence also linked them with alleged flamboyant lifestyles,” the statement said.
The EFCC said that during interrogation, Adewale, a self-acclaimed model, who goes by the username @adeherself on Instagram, confessed to being a picker” in cyber crimes. He usually poses as a lady to hoodwink her foreign “preys”.
Items recovered from the suspects include two Toyota Camry 2009 model cars, and a sum of N9 million (Nine Million Naira, only), which was found in Adewale’s account.
The other suspects; Onyebuchi, Olayode and Nwokorie were arrested for their alleged involvement in a romance scam. They were arrested during another raid, following a separate intelligence.
Investigation revealed that Nwokorie was posing as a female American citizen and sending photos as a porn star to defraud his victim while Onyebuchi was engaging in a love scam as well as forging foreign cheques.
Items recovered from the suspects include laptops and mobile phones. All the suspects will soon be arraigned in court as soon as investigations are concluded, the statement added.