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Police extradites Hassan Barau from UAE to Nigeria over N492.7m fraud

Published

8 months ago

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The Nigeria Police Force says it has extradited a suspected fraudster, Hassan Barau, to Nigeria for allegedly defrauding one Bayo Akinola of N492,750,000.

In a statement on Friday, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, force spokesperson, said Akinola filed a complaint in 2021 that he had been defrauded by Barau.

Adejobi said Akinola wanted to obtain foreign exchange (forex) for the purpose of purchasing a machine from the Netherlands.

“Michael sent a sum of N492,750,000 to the bank account of Mr. Mohammed Sulaiman. However, instead of facilitating the forex transaction as agreed, Mr. Sulaiman transferred the funds to another individual, Mr. Mohammed Hassan Barau,” Adejobi said.

“Mr. Hassan Barau, who resides in the United Arab Emirates, subsequently sent 513,000 Euros to Mr. Michael from Belgium, supposedly for the forex transaction.

“However, this transaction was flagged as fraudulent, leading Mr. Michael to return the funds to the sender. Realizing that he had been a victim of fraud, Mr. Michael made multiple attempts to recover his money but was unsuccessful.”

Adejobi said the case was assigned to INTERPOL which launched an investigation into the matter.

He said Barau was placed on a red alert list “thereby facilitating international cooperation in tracking and apprehending the suspect”.

He added that Barau was arrested by INTERPOL Abu Dhabi and subsequently extradited to Nigeria on September 27.

“His extradition marks a crucial milestone in the pursuit of justice for Mr. Akinola Bayo Michael,” Adejobi said.

“The successful extradition of Mr. Mohammed Hassan Barau demonstrates the commitment of law enforcement agencies, both within and outside Nigeria, to ensuring that perpetrators of criminal activities, particularly those with international ramifications, are held accountable for their actions.

“This case underscores the importance of vigilance and due diligence in financial transactions, especially in the era of increasingly sophisticated fraud schemes.

“We urge individuals and businesses to exercise caution and verify the legitimacy of financial transactions to prevent falling victim to fraud.”

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Crime

NDLEA arrests 80, convicts 12 drug dealers, seizes 3,000kg drugs in FCT

Published

23 hours ago

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May 15, 2024 12:39 pm

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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested over 80 suspected drug dealers with over 3,000kg of drugs in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) between January and March.

Kabir Tsukuwa, Commander of Narcotics (CN), NDLEA, FCT Command, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.

Tsakuwa said that over 50 suspects had been prosecuted adding that out of the number, 12 had been convicted and sentenced to different jail terms. He said that the command had been going after the drug peddlers and the records were there to show from the arrest and seizure over the years.

“If not for the continuous effort of the agency and the command in particular, the drug situation in FCT and even the entire country would have been worst,” he said.

The NDLEA commander said that the current situation of drug abuse in the FCT was not a peculiar one as it was same world over. Tsakuwa said that drug abuse was a major concern to all countries of the world.

He said that all regional and global bodies like ECOWAS, EU and UNODC were advocating for global concerted efforts to deal with the challenge of drug trafficking and abuse. He said: “the drug situation varies from countries to countries, states to states and even localities.”

According to him, the command has maintained consistent raids of drug joints within the FCT, even though, that cannot be said to have been dismantled completely but it is a continuous process.

“There is no society that is crime free, not even the developed world.

“In 2023 alone, we arrested over 500 suspects with over 7,000kg of assorted drug seizure and conviction of over 200 offenders.”

Tsakuwa said that the issue of drug abuse was serious, adding that Nigerians must join in the continuous fight against the drug menace. He emphasised that there was a strong nexus between drug abuse and other criminalities like kidnapping, insurgency, theft, armed robbery among others.

“When drug abuse and trafficking is dealt with, the rise in other criminalities will certainly drop.

“Although, we have had cases where we carry out operations of drug joints, but the next minute, they are back again.

“Be that as it may, we shall continue to give in our best to ensure sustainable action in our efforts.

“We shall not rest until we achieve our desired goal of drug free environment in the Federal Capital,” he added.

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Crime

Police arrests man strapped with bomb in Plateau bank

Published

2 days ago

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May 14, 2024 4:04 pm

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Security operatives have apprehended a man strapped with Person Borne Improvised Explosive Device (SPBIED) inside a bank in Plateau.

Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication focused on the Lake Chad region, said the man was nabbed at a bank in Dadin Kowa town in Jos South LGA of the state.

The publication said the incident occurred on May 13.

Intelligence sources told Makama that the man planned to detonate the explosives at the bank but was spotted by a vigilante operative who raised the alarm.

The publication said after the suspect was apprehended, an angry mob surrounded him and insisted he should be killed.

Makama could not confirm if the suspect is connected to the fighters of the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP).

The publication added that the suspect is in the custody of the police and currently undergoing investigation.

Nigeria has been battling insurgency for two decades, with suicide bombings, displacement of entire communities and kidnapping for ransom by the terrorists, recorded in that span.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said about 83 children — mostly girls — were used as human bombs in 2017 alone.

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Crime

‘Big head, wide mouth, tribal marks’ — police describe blogger declared wanted for murder

Published

3 days ago

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May 13, 2024 8:23 am

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The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has declared one Dorcas Adeyinka wanted in connection with alleged murder.

The police also alleged that the suspect is linked with cyber-stalking, abduction, murder, injurious falsehood, threat to life and extortion.

In a poster on X, the police described the suspect as 1.64m tall.

The force highlighted other attributes of the suspects, including “big chin, full lip, wide mouth, and a large head” size.

The police said the suspect hails from Ekiti state but lives in the UK and frequently visited places including Ikeja, Fagba, Ogudu, and Sango.

‘HILARIOUS DESCRIPTION’

The description of the suspect has sparked reactions on social media.

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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others

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