An 18-year-old British boy has been arrested for allegedly having sex with a 17-year-old girl in Dubai.

Detained in Dubai, a group of UAE legal experts, said the teenager was on holiday with his parents when he met the girl — who is now 18 — at the same hotel.

The teenagers who are both from London were said to have made plans to continue their romance when they returned to the UK.

The group, which campaigns to help people it says have suffered injustice in the UAE, said the young man was charged because the girl’s mother found their chats and pictures back in the UK.

It was gathered that the woman subsequently contacted police in Dubai and he was arrested.

The boy however claimed he was unaware that the girl was younger than him when they met. The teenager also disclosed that he was in police custody for three days and was unable to contact his parents.

“We had a wonderful time together. We really liked each other but she was secretive with her family because they were strict,” he told Detained in Dubai.

“My parents knew about our relationship but she couldn’t tell hers. She had to meet me without telling them it was to see a boy.

“When she left, I couldn’t wait to see her again when I got home. Then suddenly, police knocked on our hotel door. They said they were taking me in for questioning but wouldn’t tell me why. I was frightened and my parents were terrified.”

The teenager, it is understood, could face up to two decades in prison owing to Dubai’s strict laws regarding sex outside marriage.

Radha Stirling, chief executive of the campaign group, said Dubai recently legalised out-of-wedlock sex for tourists but “still hosts a strict Islamic legal system”.

“Sex outside marriage is legal for tourists but only if both parties are over 18. The girl was just a few months younger than Marcus and he didn’t know that at the time,” Stirling said.

“Since his arrest, she has turned 18. This is not something Dubai should be prosecuting.

“Parents will be scared to take their older teenagers on vacation with them where they could end up losing their lives over behaviour that’s completely legal in their own countries.”

The teenager and his family have called on foreign secretary David Lammy, their local MP, to intervene in the case.

The teenager is no longer being held in a police cell but is unable to leave the country, with his family facing bills of £2,000 for Airbnb accommodation until his case is resolved.

The Osun police command says its operatives have arrested Wakili-Nurudeen Iyanda, head of the Osun State Park Management System (OSTMS).

Iyanda, who is also known as Alowonle, was allegedly found with arms and ammunition belonging to the police.

Emmanuel Giwa-Alade, deputy police spokesperson in the state, confirmed the arrest to TheCable on Wednesday.

Giwa-Alade said detectives from the anti-kidnapping unit nabbed nine suspects on Ring road in Osogbo, following a tip-off.

“Despite resistance, the police successfully overwhelmed them, recovering a Barrett pistol, six 9mm live ammunition, and an expanded empty cell from Wakili’s unregistered Toyota Highlander,” he said.

“Nine suspects arrested, including Nurudeen Wakili in the first arrest at Ring road area, after meeting heavy resistance from Alowonle’s boys who reinforced. Four escaped including the said Alowonle.

“He was rearrested. All other exhibits in the case include; Hummer bus (AWK 480 YD), Nissan Almera (unregistered), Toyota Sienna (GNN 595 XD).”

The spokesperson said Alowonle “attempted escape with handcuffs, got maimed, was rearrested”.

He added that the suspect is receiving treatment at the Osun State University (UNIOSUN) teaching hospital.

However, Mikaela Popoola, OSTMS secretary, accused the police of attempted murder.

In a statement, Popoola said its chairman was arrested over “domestic issues” and detained by the police.

“Our chairman was shot while in police custody under circumstances that demand a thorough investigation,” he said.

“We urge our members to remain calm and refrain from taking the law into their hands.”

The OSTMS secretary added that the matter would be pursued through official channels.

‘HE WAS SHOT IN THE ABDOMEN’

In a statement, Kolapo Alimi, commissioner for information and public enlightenment in Osun, said there was an attempt on Alowonle’s life.

The statement demanded the immediate arrest and prosecution of Moses Lohor, head of the anti-kidnapping squad, for his “wilful act of attempted murder”.

“Alowonle is presently on life support at the Intensive Care Unit of the Osun State Teaching Hospital after a gunshot wound in the abdomen while in the custody of the police at Osogbo,” the statement reads.

“Video clips of Alowonle in handcuffs and under interrogation circulating in the media space dispelled any excuse that the park chairman was trying to escape.

“The fact that he was shot in the abdomen as video from his hospital bed confirmed proved that he was shot at close range with intent to eliminate him.”

Alimi said interactions between Samuel Ojo, special adviser to Ademola Adeleke, Osun governor; and Lohor showed that the “shooting of Alowonle was pre-planned, indicating a murder plot”.

“We also note that the issue that generated the purported arrest was a civil matter, not criminally related to have warranted the involvement of Mr Moses Lohor, the head of the Anti-Kidnapping squad except for the repeat of a recent pattern of police harassment of officials of the state government on partisan motivation,” the statement added.

“The programmed attempted murder of Mr Alowonle is just one in the series of shootings and attacks on officials of the state by the head of anti-kidnapping squad who regularly acted with impunity and who has not hidden his vow to eliminate supporters of the state government.

“As we summoned several meetings to calm frayed nerves today, we struggled hard to stop reprisal attacks against police establishments across the state due to what the public now see as police partisan conduct in breach of the law.”

The state government also asked Nuhu Ribadu, national security adviser, and Kayode Egbetokun, inspector-general of police, to maintain peace in Osun ahead of the 2026 election.

A special offences court in Ikeja has convicted Fatuyi Phillips, a former chairman of the Natural Oil and Gas Suppliers Association of Nigeria (NOGASA), over N43.5 million fraud.

Mojisola Dada, the presiding judge, sentenced Phillips to 21 years in jail.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on April 5, 2022, arraigned Philips alongside his firm, Oceanview Oil and Gas Limited.

The NOGASA chairman had pleaded not guilty to a two-count charge, bordering on obtaining money by false pretence to the tune of N43,502,000.

The EFCC called five witnesses and tendered several documentary evidence, while the defendants called three witnesses.

According to a statement by the EFCC, Dada, while delivering the judgment, held that the prosecution proved its case against the defendants beyond reasonable doubt.

The judge sentenced Phillips to 14 years imprisonment on count one and seven years on count two, without an option of a fine.

The sentences are to be served concurrently.

Also, the judge ordered the second defendant, Oceanview Oil and Gas Limited, to pay a fine of N500,000 in respect of count one and another N250,000 in respect of count two within 30 days or be wound up.

“The court further ordered the convicts to make restitution in the sum of $90,202 or the prevailing naira equivalent to the nominal complainants,” the statement reads.

“Phillips’ journey to the correctional centre began when he collected the sum of N43, 502,000.00 from Elochukwu Okoye and Elebana Unique Ventures Nigeria Limited on behalf of WAPCIL Nigeria Limited with a false promise of selling its dollar equivalent ($98,870.00) to them.

“He neither returned the naira nor dollar equivalent to the petitioners.”