US Embassy hands ‘couple’ to SFU for posing as married couple

                       

The Special Fraud Unit (SFU), Milverton, Ikoyi, Lagos State, has arrested a young man and lady, who went to the US Embassy, pretending to be married couple, when they are not. The duo was also arrested because it is believed they were working in consonance with some group, to smuggle Nigerians to America.

The Unit spokesperson, Ngozi Isintume-Agu explained that a petitioned dated July, 15, 2013, and signed by the Assistant Regional Security Officer, United States Consulate General, was received by the Commissioner of Police, in charge of SFU, Mr. Tunde Ogunsakin, alleging that one Adejayan Adetokunbo and one Adebisi Funke Juliet conspired and went to U.S. Embassy to be interviewed for Immigrant Visa to USA as a couple and the said marriage was determined to be fraudulent.  It was also alleged that they are working with touts for purposes of smuggling Nigerians to the United States of America.

The suspects were arrested by the Embassy when they came to collect their Visa and immediately handed over to SFU. 

Isintume-Agu said: “Our investigation revealed that they are not husband and wife as they claimed. That it was an “arranged” marriage by one Segun and his syndicate who specialized in merging prospective Visa seekers together in marriage for onward smuggling to U.S.A.

“Their modus operandi is to merge a lottery visa winner with a non-winner and packaged both to USA.  In this case, the sum of N1.5 million was collected from Funke and she was purportedly joined in matrimony with Adejayan Adetokunbo who genuinely won the lottery visa.  Both suspects confessed in their statements that they are not husband and wife.”

Adejayan Adetokunbo  is a 35-year-old teacher at Jims International School, Mafoluku, Oshodi.  He is a native of Ondo Local Government Area of Ondo State.

 He admitted that he won a lottery visa played for him by a friend of his brother.  He also stated that the friend called him in May 2012 to inform him of the winning and that he must attach with somebody before coming to USA. 

He further stated that Segun was introduced to him by the so called friend and Segun in turn brought Funke for the arranged marriage.  The suspect also confessed that he travelled to U.K. in 2005 with a fake name “Oludotun Ojukosola Gbenro” but was caught in 2009 and deported back to the country in 2010.  He also said that while in UK, he got married to a Czech Republic lady in 2008.

Funke Juliet Adebisi on the other hand is a 27-year- old from Ilesha East of Osun State and an ex-staff of Ladtimi Automart Ltd. 

She stated that it was Segun who introduced her to Adetokunbo.

According to her, she paid N1 million to him in June 2012 to process her visa and N500, 000 for other charges which include passports, medicals and training. 

She confessed that the marriage was arranged by Segun sometime last year, and he later booked an appointment for them with the Embassy on June 20^, 2013 as husband and wife.  She admitted that Adetokunbo is not her husband and that it was Segun who lured her into her present predicament.  She regretted her action and stated that she is novice to the whole issue.

Isintume-Agu said that investigation is still on-going, adding that efforts are on top gear to arrest the fleeing Segun and his cohorts. She said the arrested suspects will be charged to Court soonest.