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LAGOS SCAMMERS DEFRAUD, RAPE LADY IN UNCOMPLETED BUILDING

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Two Suspected fraudsters, Rotimi Fisher and Sherif Adebayo,

Two suspected fraudsters, Rotimi Fisher and Sherif Adebayo, have allegedly defrauded a 23-year-old girl in the Ipaja area of Lagos State.

The suspects also reportedly lured the victim to an uncompleted building on Majiyagbe Street, Ipaja, where Adebayo allegedly raped her.

PUNCH Metro gathered that the victim was on her way to a destination in Iyana Ipaja when Fisher approached her to help him locate an address.

The suspect, who reportedly presented himself as a foreign businessman to the victim, said he came to Nigeria to deliver goods to one of his clients at the address and to collect his outstanding payments.

A source said after Fisher approached people for help to no avail, the young girl offered to help, but upon checking the address, she did not know the location.

The source said, “But as the girl was trying to help Fisher, Adebayo suddenly came as a neutral person and offered to assist Fisher, whereas they were working together. Adebayo said the address was fake, but started motivating the girl on the need for them to help Fisher.

“Fisher, while lamenting being stranded, claimed that he was in possession of some papers that could be converted to plenty money but told Adebayo and the girl that he needed money to buy chemicals to convert the papers to money.

“Adebayo quickly dropped N60,000. The girl, who seemed convinced, gave Fisher her gold jewellery and N10,000 and also went to withdraw N65,000 from a nearby ATM and gave it to Fisher, who told Adebayo and the girl to take an oath not to reveal his secret to anyone.”

 After taking the oath, it was learnt that Fisher gave them a location to meet him the next day.

When they got there, the Ogun State indigene reportedly showed them the sack containing the money and told Adebayo and the girl that the spirit responsible for converting the papers to money was asking for human blood as sacrifice.

“Fisher said to prevent both of them from dying, they needed to have sex. He also used the oath they took to threaten them. So, the girl out of fear of dying, followed them to an uncompleted building around 9pm on Majiyagbe Street, Ipaja, where Adebayo had sex with her,” the source said.

PUNCH Metro gathered that after Fisher, 42, and Adebayo, 32, perpetrated the crime on September 3, 2022, the girl left the uncompleted building and proceeded to the Ipaja Police Station to report the case for investigation.

The policemen, led by the Ipaja Divisional Police Officer, CSP Tokunbo Abaniwonda, reportedly swung into action and in a two-week sting, arrested Fisher and Adebayo at their hideouts in Ipaja on September 16, 2022.

During interrogation, the suspects confessed to the crime, saying they only manipulated the victim.

Adebayo said, “I only slept with her once and I used a contraceptive. I got the contraceptive at a mallam’s shop in the area. I used the contraceptive because I don’t really know the girl. I needed to protect myself.”

Narrating how he perpetrated the crime, Fisher said he met Adebayo through a friend, Bisi, who he claimed trained him on how to formulate stories to defraud unsuspecting members of the public.

He said, “I have been asking a lot of people for the address. While some said they did not know the place, others advised me to go back to the country I came from, but I said I could not go back because of the goods that I brought.

“The girl got convinced when I said I was looking for people to help me count Nigerian money because I said I don’t know how to count it. Meanwhile, I and Adebayo had been talking to people but they did not answer us.

“It was when the girl was passing that I explained to her and she listened to me. So, Adebayo also pretended to be a passer-by and when he was passing, I signalled to him, and asked the girl to help me ask him for the location of the address and Adebayo said he had not heard of such an address before.”

Reacting, the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, said the suspects had been charged to court.

PUNCH Metro gathered that Fisher and Adebayo, who are both married with two children each, were arraigned at the Ejigbo Magistrate’s Court on three counts bordering on obtaining by false pretences, fraudulent conversion and sexual assault, offences punishable under sections 411, 314 (1), 287 and 136 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.

The men were later remanded in prison as the matter was adjourned till October 17, 2022, for further hearing.

Fraudsters have been deploying different tactics to swindle unsuspecting members of the public out of their valuables in different parts of Lagos State.

In August 2022, 35-year-old Olumide Womiloju was arraigned for fraud before Chief Magistrate P.E. Nwaka at a magistrate’s court sitting in the Yaba area of the state, for allegedly obtaining N5m from clients after promising to process their visas to travel overseas.

Also in August, a suspected fraudster, Emmanuel Rolland, was arrested for allegedly using counterfeit money to defraud unsuspecting residents in the Ikorodu area of the state.

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COUP IN GABON: WHY WE SACKED PRESIDENT ALI BONGO – ARMY

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Gabonese army officers under the aegis of the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions on Wednesday morning announced on national television why they are taking over power from President Ali Bongo in the country.

The soldiers highlighted serious institutional, political, economic and social crises as factors responsible for the coup that they tagged, ‘necessary’ for the progress of the West African country.

In a nationwide address rendered in French but translated to English by AFP, the junta said, “Our beautiful country, Gabon, has always been a haven of peace.

“Today, the country is going through a serious institutional, political, economic and social crisis.

“We are therefore forced to admit that the organisation of the general elections of August 26, 2023, did not meet the conditions for a transparent, credible and inclusive ballot so much hoped for by the people of Gabon.

“Added to this is irresponsible and unpredictable governance, resulting in a continuing deterioration in social cohesion, with the risk of leading the country into chaos.

“Today, 30 August 2023, we, the defence and security forces, gathered as the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions (CTRI) on behalf of the people of Gabon and as guarantors of the institutions’ protection — have decided to defend the peace by putting an end to the current regime.

“The borders are closed until further notice.

The junta resolved that all of the institutions of the country be dissolved including the Federal Government, the Senate, the National Assembly, the Constitutional Court, the Economic, Social and Environmental Council and the Gabonese Elections Centre.

They therefore called for calm and serenity from the public, the communities of sister countries settled in Gabon, and the Gabonese diaspora.

“We reaffirm our commitment to respecting Gabon’s commitments to the national and international community.

“People of Gabon, we are finally on the road to happiness.

“May God and the spirits of our ancestors bless Gabon. Honour and loyalty to our homeland.”

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UPGRADE OF STS PREPAID METER IS FREE, AT NO COST TO CUSTOMERS – EEDC

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The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company PLC (EEDC) has cautioned its customers against falling victim to fraudsters, stressing that the planned upgrade of STS prepaid meters in its network will be free of charge, and at no cost to customers.

This clarification was made today in Enugu, by the Head, Corporate Communications, EEDC, Mr. Emeka Ezeh.

According to Ezeh, the warning became necessary because of information received by the company about activities of some unscrupulous elements who are extorting unsuspecting customers in the name of upgrading their meters.

He said that customers should not fall prey to these elements, as no customer will be charged a kobo to have his or her meter upgraded.

“The process of upgrade will be simply by punching into the meter the Key Change Tokens (KCT), which will be provided to the customers alongside the credit token, when they go to recharge their meters.”

What we just did, as a matter of responsibility was to notify our customers of this exercise and appeal to them to ensure that their prepaid meters are upgraded before 24th November 2024.

It will be recalled that earlier in the month, EEDC notified its customers that by 24th November 2024, all Standard Transfer Specification (STS) prepaid meters will cease to accept credit tokens, unless they are upgraded. An exercise which will be affecting all STS compliant prepaid meters across the globe.

Customers of EEDC are advised to ensure that their meters are upgraded before the set date of 24th November 2024, as Meters not upgraded before the date will no longer accept new tokens, but they will still be working till the credit already loaded in it is used up.

It is important to note that credit tokens purchased and not loaded onto the meters before the upgrade will become invalid after the upgrade.

EEDC appeals to its customers to remain calm, as adequate communication will be made on the process and modalities for the upgrade, while reiterating that the upgrade is free of charge and at no cost to customers.

EEDC advised members of the public who need further clarification or enquiries to call: 084 700 100, SMS/Whatsapp: 0815 082 6060 or 0815 082 6061, or send email to: customerservice@enugudisco.com

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THREE DEAD, 35 RESCUED IN FCT COLLAPSED BUILDING

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*I escaped with only these clothes on me,’ says survivor

Three people have been declared dead after a two-storey building collapsed in the early hours of Thursday in Garki village, Federal Capital Territory, (FCT), Abuja.

According to government officials undertaking rescue operations at the venue, the building came crashing down on unsuspecting residents shortly after midnight while it was raining non-stop, killing two on the spot while one later died in the hospital.

FCT Minister who arrived at the place to assess the situation, ordered the immediate arrest of the owners of the property and an investigation into the remote and immediate causes of the building collapse.

Wike who warned that enough is enough of individuals building without approved building plan and use of substandard materials, said “We will identify and arrest the owners of the building.”

The minister assured that the government will take care of the hospital bill and treatment of those rescued and are receiving treatment for various degrees of injuries in hospitals.

A resident of the collapsed building, Gift Eze, who survived the accident, said they escaped the accident with only the clothes on their bodies. She called on the government to provide immediate relief and support for them.

“I escaped with only these clothes on me, the house, property, everything is gone, please we need immediate help. Where do we sleep tonight and where do we live?

Senator Ireti Kingibe, representing the FACT, who arrived at the venue shortly after the departure of the FCT minister, decried the spare of building collapse in the FCT and the attendant loss of lives and property.

She tasked regulatory bodies to conduct periodic checks on buildings across the FCT to avoid a repeat of the incident.

She said although the area is a local Gbagyi setting, it is important to follow standards when setting up any building structure to avoid building collapse.

“Everyone intending to build should get proper approval before doing so. This is an old building but the agencies should have a process where they go regularly to assess old buildings like this and while they do that, we the public should comply.”

Officials of the FCT Development Control, FCT FERMA, and the Standard Organisation of Nigeria, (SON), among others, all agreed that the about 30-year-old building was already distressed and therefore no longer fit for people to live in.

District Head, Garki, Stephen Yakubu, explained that the owner of the building had already given the occupants quit notice for a while now because the building had already depreciated and was almost collapsing but some of the occupants still stayed back for lack of where to immediately move to and were unfortunately caught up in the disaster.

He said “Based on the information we were told, the owner had already given them quite notice when he realised that the building was depreciating and it was almost collapsing but for over two months now, they have refused to leave perhaps the reason could be that they didn’t have accommodation anywhere.

“We are deeply saddened over the loss of lives there. Nobody is happy because losing a life, even if it is a baby, is something that is quite worrisome. We are working with the authorities to prevent these from happening again,” he said.

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