SFU arrests suspect for swindling victim over N13m

The Special Fraud Unit, (SFU) Milverton, Ikoyi, Lagos State, has arrested a suspected fraudster for allegedly swindling his business partner of over N13 million.

The SFU spokesperson, DSP Ngozi Isintume-Agu, explained that one Mr. Sule Lawal collected Goods valued at N13, 320,750.00 from Mr. Olabode Ibiyioye under false pretence and later disappeared into thin air.

Lawal was however later arrested.

Stating his own defence, Lawal said that he did not abscond with Ibiyioye’s money as detectives claimed. According to him, he was swindled by fraudsters from Kwara State as he was induced into prayers to get rich by supernatural means.

Isintume-Agu revealed that the set of men who duped Lawal in Kwara State, had once been arrested and charged to court, but the case was later struck out, giving room for the suspected fraudsters to continue in their nefarious activities.

Isintume-Agu added: “It will be recalled that on July 30, 2012, the Unit paraded the fraudsters, one Alhaji Abdul Lateef Aibinu and one Mr. Abdul Fatai Bamidele who disguised as Muslim Clerics to defraud innocent members of the public of their hard earned money.  The suspects were later granted Police Administrative bail and they complained of it being too stringent and went on Motion Exparte for enforcement of their fundamental rights.

“The Unit refused to grant them bail to professional sureties whose identities were hidden. The Honorable Justice Aneke ruled in favour of the Police. The judge said that the Police should verify the addresses of the sureties as the suspects were not from Lagos but other states!”

Isintume-Agu that the Defence Counsel M. A. Adeniyi Esq., from Ilorin did not take it kindly with the Judge’s ruling and prayed the Court to award cost against the Police for contempt of court i.e. for not bringing the suspects to Court. 

The matter was later transferred to Hon. Justice Efreti Okon Abang, who struck out the case against the Police for want of evidence as the learned Police Counsel, SP Emerho Frank Esq., alerted the Court that the accused persons, Alhaji Abdul Lateef Aibinu and Mr. Abdul Fatai Bamidele have been arraigned before Justice Musa Kurya of the Federal High Court, Ikeja since February 10, 2013.

“They were remanded in prison custody at Ikoyi as serial fraudsters for accelerated hearing as releasing them will make them to commit more similar crimes,” said Isintume-Agu.  “Based on this, Hon. Justice Efreti O. Abang struck out the Suit No. FHC/L/CS/828/2012 on February 27, 2013.”