Crime
EFCC declares businessman, Bolaji Akinduro, wanted for fraud
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Saturday declared the Executive Chairman of Total Grace Oil and Gas Investment Limited, Bolaji Akinduro, wanted for alleged fraud.
This was according to a statement on the anti-graft agency’s official X.com account on Saturday.
The statement noted that Akinduro allegedly obtained money under false pretence and stealing by conversion.
It read, “The public is hereby notified that Bolaji Henry Akinduro, whose photograph appears above is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in an alleged case of Obtaining Money under False Pretence and Stealing by Conversion.
“Akinduro, 51, is an indigene of Ondo State and his last known address is 272, Patience Coker Street, Ajose Adeogun, Victoria Island, Lagos State.
“Anybody with useful information as to his whereabouts should please contact the commission in its Ibadan, Uyo, Sokoto, Maiduguri, Benin, Makurdi, Kaduna, Ilorin, Enugu, Kano, Lagos, Gombe, Port Harcourt or Abuja offices or through 08093322644; its e-mail address:info@efcc.gov.ng or the nearest Police Station and other security agencies.”
Recall that in April 2001, EFCC arraigned Akinduro, his company, His Grace Integrated Solution Limited, and two others before Justice Funmilayo Akinlade of the Lagos High Court, Ikeja, over offences bordering on forgery, stealing and conspiracy.
Crime
Nigerian-British man jailed in US for multi-million dollar email compromise scheme
Oludayo Adeagbo, a 45-year-old Nigerian-British man, has been sentenced to seven years in a US prison over involvement in a “multimillion-dollar business email compromise (BEC) scheme”.
WHAT IS A BEC SCHEME?
A BEC scheme, also referred to as cyber-enabled financial fraud, is a sophisticated scam that often targets individuals, employees, or businesses involved in financial transactions, or businesses that regularly perform wire transfer payments.
There are many variations of BEC scams. Generally, the schemes involve perpetrators gaining unauthorised access to legitimate email accounts or creating email accounts that closely resemble those of individuals or employees associated with the targeted businesses.
The scammers then use the compromised or fake email accounts to send false wiring instructions to the targeted businesses or individuals, to con the victims into sending money to bank accounts controlled by perpetrators of the scheme.
Generally, the money is quickly transferred to other accounts in the United States or overseas.
‘AN EPIDEMIC’
A statement issued by the US department of justice says court documents show that Adeagbo conspired to participate in multiple cyber-enabled BEC schemes in an attempt to steal more than $3 million from entities in Texas, including local government entities, construction companies, and a Houston-area college.
Adeagbo and his conspirators also allegedly defrauded a North Carolina university of more than $1.9 million.
Adeagbo was said to have arrived in the US in August 2022 after he was extradited from the United Kingdom to face criminal charges filed in Charlotte and Houston.
The justice department said Adeagbo pleaded guilty to one count each of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his criminal conduct in both cases on August 8, following the transfer of the case in the US district court for the southern district of Texas to the US district court for the western district of North Carolina.
“Oludayo Adeagbo and his coconspirators perpetrated transnational cyber-enabled fraud schemes that targeted schools, government entities, and companies across the United States, and caused millions of dollars in losses,” Nicole Argentieri, head of the justice department’s criminal division, said.
“Adeagbo’s extradition, plea, and sentencing underscore the criminal division’s commitment to working with our law enforcement partners to pursue cybercriminals who target American victims, no matter where that pursuit leads.
“We are especially grateful to the government of the United Kingdom for its assistance in this case.”
Alamdar S. Hamdani, attorney for the southern district of Texas, said Adeagbo “ran a sophisticated 21st-century cyber-criminal operation hiding behind fake email accounts and anonymous internet addresses to steal from the innocent, a crime as old as time itself”.
“BEC scams have become an epidemic with individuals and businesses suffering debilitating financial losses, while eroding society’s trust in digital communications and undermining overall economic stability,” Hamdani said.
“That’s why prosecutors and agents in two jurisdictions worked tirelessly to identify Adeagbo and reach across the Atlantic to bring him to justice.”
Crime
NDLEA arrests Canadian at Lagos airport for ‘importing bags of cannabis’
The operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested Adrienne Munju, a Canadian, allegedly importing a large consignment of synthetic cannabis.
In a statement on Sunday, Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesperson, said the 41-year-old suspect was arrested on October 3 during the inward clearance of passengers on a KLM airline flight from Canada at terminal 1 of the Lagos airport.
Babafemi added that the Munju was caught with 74 parcels of the illicit substance weighing 35.20 kg stuffed in two of her three bags.
“In her statement, she claimed she was recruited to traffic the consignment through an online platform for 10,000 Canadian dollars upon successful delivery in Lagos. She said she took the offer because she needed the money to pay for her ongoing master’s degree programme in Canada,” the NDLEA statement reads.
Similarly, the anti-drug agency intercepted 13,298,000 pills of opioids and 338,253 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup at the Port Harcourt ports, Onne, Rivers.
Babafemi said the seized consignment is worth over “N9 billion in street value” and included Tramadol, Tramaking Quick Action Tramadol, Tamol-X, Royal Tapentadol and Carisoprodol, among others.
He said that the opioids were recovered in three containers coming from India, targeted by the NDLEA during a 100 per cent joint examination of the cargoes.
“NDLEA operatives at the Tincan seaport in Lagos on Thursday, October 3, intercepted 100 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 50kg. The consignment was packed in 20 parcels, each in five jumbo bags concealed in a container with four units of imported vehicles that came from Canada,” the statement reads.
“Though the container had earlier been cleared out of the ESS Libra Bonded Terminal in Ikorodu but based on credible intelligence, NDLEA operatives were able to trace it to a warehouse in Ikorodu where the illicit consignments were discovered in one of the imported vehicles, a Toyota Sienna bus. A suspect, Abubakar Shuaibu Ibrahim has already been taken into custody in connection with the seizure.”
Crime
EFCC arrests 43 internet fraudsters in Port Harcourt
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says it has arrested 43 suspected internet fraudsters in Port Harcourt, Rivers state.
In a statement on Thursday, Dele Oyewale, EFCC spokesperson, said the suspects were arrested during a sting operation on Wednesday at Rumuekeni and Iwofe areas of the state.
“They were arrested for alleged internet fraud following actionable intelligence surveillance on their suspected involvement in computer-related offences,” the statement reads.
“Items recovered from them include different brands of mobile phones, laptops, international passports and Automated Teller Machine, ATM cards of different banks, five vehicles, two motorcycles and a Point of Sale, POS, machine.
“The suspects will be charged to court upon conclusion of investigation.”
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