Lagos State – Operatives of Area D command of the Lagos State police command have arrested a computer science graduate from Ekiti State University who defrauded Nigerians by operating a fake Facebook account of the general overseer of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles (MFM) Ministry, Dr. Daniel Olukoya and other famous clergymen.
The suspect, one Atanda Yusuf, 27, who hails from Ora in Kwara State, was traced by detectives of the Area D command, led by the Area Commander, Akinbayo Olasoji, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP).
According to the suspect, “I am into telecommunications business, I send and download music, I flash phones, I all have MTN mobile kits, which I also use to register SIM cards. I am also working for Airtel with their registration kit also at No 2, Isuti road, Igando.
“I created a Facebook account in Dr. Olukoya’s name, which I use to defraud people and I have regretted every bit of my action. I also opened Facebook pages for Redeemed Christian Church of God and Synagogue Church of All Nations. I ask people through Facebook to pay N1,000 and get N10,000 after four days.
“It is like a ponzi scheme where you pay N1,000 and get N3,000 or more and more than 100 people have been paying. I started last year September. Once anybody pays the N1,000 and it is four days, I block the person’s number on Whatsapp so they would not be able to reach me again. I regret every bit of my action and I had decided to stop, because I had a feeling I was about to be caught.
“Manacy Amos, the man who owns the bank account number I use to transact the illicit business is a colleague from the factory we were working together, at Okosupreme natural resources limited. We were in the same department. We worked as quality control inspector. After Manacy gained admission, I was still working there before the company had issue, so we shut down.
“During that period I met him and said a friend of mine is a bricklayer and had issues with his account, that we have not seen any other account to pay money to and he agreed. I told him that the bricklayer friend was ready to pay N5,000 and so he agreed to sell it. He sold his account and gave me his ATM card. That was how I got it,” he said.
When contacted, the Lagos police spokesman, Bala Elkana, said “we got complaints from several people about the suspect and we have been looking for him for over three months until he was successfully tracked to his hideout in Igando. He would soon be charged to court.”(The Guardian)
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