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| Funshon, Yemi and the a victim, Mr.Mbonu |
The suspect, Bright Funshon, 35, father of two, is a graduate of Computer Science, University of Ilorin.
He always described himself to prospective victims as, Mr. Wale Elegushi, Special Adviser to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode on Transports.
His modus operandi is to order for expensive phones via online shopping malls, instructing them to bring the phones to Lagos State Ministry of Environment, Alausa, Ikeja. Once he meets with the online dealer’s dispatch rider, he would take the person to a corner, bring out a gun, collect the phones and disappear.
Funshon had twice been arrested and jailed over the same crime. But immediately he regains his freedom, he would go back to his old ways.
The IRT arrested Funshon along with his partner in crime, Akanni Yemi. Yemi is the receiver of the stolen phones and has a shop in Computer Village, Ikeja. Three mobile phones, valued at N720, 000, were recovered from both of them. A police source said:
“The syndicate specialised in robbing phone dealers trading on various online shopping malls. They would go to different websites and place orders, asking for expensive phones. They would negotiate and give addresses to phone dealers regarding where to deliver the phones.
Once the dealers’ dispatcher arrive at the given address, they would be robbed.” The police said that several online phone dealers in Nigeria had fallen victims. The suspects’ downfall began after Funshon placed order and robbed a Lagos-based phone dealer, ‘GSM Planet,’ located on Toyin Street, Ikeja.
GSM Planet was robbed of three Samsung Galaxy S7 Dual SIM phones, valued at N720, 000. Funshon was said to have placed an order, at Gbanjo Deals, a popular online shopping mall, requesting to buy three Samsung Galaxy S7 phones. He introduced himself as Honourable Wale Elegushi, a serving member of the Lagos State House of Assembly.
Gbanjo Deals linked him to the Managing Director of GSM Planet, Mr. Uzo Mbonu. Playing the part of a rich politician, Funshon instructed that the phones be delivered at the office complex of Lagos State Ministry of Environment, Alausa.
When the delivery man arrived at the complex, he was taken to a corner where a gun was pointed at his shocked face and the phones collected from him. Funshon said he is an IT engineer and specialised in installation of mast.
According to him, he graduated in 2004 and first worked with a printing press company as the assistant manager in Ilorin. He later moved to Lagos and got a job with an Installation firm at Gbagada.
After working with the company for a year, he lost his job. He tried to get another job and failed repeatedly. He decided to go into crime. Recollecting his first crime, Funshon said: “In 2014, I connected ‘Learning Mall,’ an online shopping mall and introduced myself as Mr. O.R. Wale. I told them I wanted five Apple IPhone 6 plus and four Huawei phones. I asked them to meet me at MM2 Ikeja.
The value of the phones were N1.360m.When the delivery woman brought the phones, I took her into a bank at the airport. I pretended as if I was doing a transaction. I asked her to go and get a bag where I would put the money for her. I watched as she walked out of the bank.
I followed her from behind. She went to the car that brought her and went back into the airport tarmac. I went to the driver of the car she came with and asked him to give me the phones. He gave me all the nine phones and I absconded. “I sold the phones to Yemi for N 930, 000.
But nine days later, I got a call from a number. The caller said he was also dealing on phones and that he saw my phone number on the internet. He said they wanted to do business with me. I rushed to the address he gave me.”
When he got to the address, he walked into the waiting arms of policemen. He was made to refund the money for the phones and charged to court. He spent nine months in prison. His nine months in prison didn’t make him penitent. After his release, he embarked on another crime.
He said: “I called Samsung office at Ogudu. I introduced myself as a worker with Ikeja General Hospital. I instructed them to bring the phones to me at the hospital. The delivery man called, that he was at the gate. I went to meet him.
I took the phones from him and asked him to wait. I went out the back way. The phones used to be sold for N95 000 each, but I sold all to one Elijah for N120 000 at Computer Village.” Two weeks later, the delivery man sighted Funshon at Fadayi area of Ikorodu Road, while on motorbike and started shouting thief. Funshon ran, but passers-by caught him. He was arrested, charged to court for the second time and remanded for a second time. But he still refused to change. He said:
“I got the number of Gbanjo Deals on the internet and called him. I told him that I needed three Samsung S7 phones. I introduced myself as a member of Lagos State House of Assembly.
I gave him the address of the Lagos State Ministry for the Environment, Alausa, to deliver the phones. When the delivery man arrived with the phones, I took him to an open office. I asked him to sit and left through the back door.
I took the phones to Yemi my receiver. He paid me N420, 000. I used the money in settling my previous court cases. I was yet to relax when the police came and arrested me again.” Yemi, 31, admitted to trading with Funshon, but denied knowing that the brand new phones were stolen. Yemi said:
“I have a shop in Computer Village, Ikeja. I didn’t know that the phones were stolen. Funshon told me they were from overseas. Whenever I buy from him, I sell to other phone dealers and issue them my own receipt at the correct market price. I make close to between N50, 000 and N600, 000 on each phone.”
The Managing Director of GSM Planet, located on Toyin Street, Ikeja, Mbonu, revealed how he was robbed by Funshon. He said that he got a call from the MD of an Online Mall ‘Gbanjo Deals’ on April 14, that one honourable, working with the Lagos State House of Assembly, wanted to buy three pieces of Samsung S7 Edge Dual SIM phones.
Mbonu said: “He also gave the MD his office address at the Ministry for the Environment, Alausa. He said we should deliver the phones at the address. I sent my dispatch man, Mr. Friday Samuel.
On getting to Alausa, Friday met the ‘honourable’. He took him to a side, pointed a gun at him and took the phones from him and ran away. This happened around 1:30pm on that Friday.”
When Mbonu got the news, he went to the Ikeja Police Station. It was there he ran into the IGP’s IRT team. He narrated the incident to them. They promised to tackle the case, but Mbonu didn’t believe them. He reluctantly returned to his office, believing his phones were gone.
Mbonu had been target of such online thieves for a while now. He had been robbed three times. And each time he reported the case, nothing would be done by the police. Mbonu said: “This year alone, I have been robbed three times.
Whenever I report, police would ask me to bring money first. If I refused, they wouldn’t investigate. On May 4, around 4pm, the IRT operatives called me. They have arrested the honourable. They handed over my three phones without asking me to pay a dime. I was shocked and wondered if I was in Nigeria.
“This is the first time I have reported a matter to the police and it was tackled without a dime being collected from me.” Recollecting the three times he had been robbed, Mbonu said the first time was on January 9, around 2pm.
He said that the robbers deployed the same modus operandi that Funshon used. He was robbed of N200, 000 worth of phones and POS machine. Mbonu said: “The second time was in my office. On March 28, around 5: pm.
The robbers walked in, pretending to be customers. After we attended to them, they pointed guns at us and took all the phones in our office worth N450, 000. How the IRT operatives were able to crack this particular case so fast is unbelievable!”
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