Police nab serial Facebook crook for defrauding Lagos girls

The Facebook lover suspect was arrested in Lagos by the police.

The Police in Lagos on Monday arrested a Facebook lover for defrauding his lover of N200, 000.

The police said the suspect posed as a medical doctor to enable him swindle his unsuspecting facebook girl- friend.

The suspect claimed he would use the amount to secure a job for her with the Nigerian Customs Service. Parading the suspect, the Lagos police spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, said the accused was arrested and charged to court about three years ago for a similar offence.

Ms. Braide stated that the police could not immediately explain how he was freed in court without being convicted, noting that the suspect had become a serial fraudster who was in the habit of defrauding young girls.

She said the 36-year- old suspect was arrested after one out of the latest five victims complained to the Police on November 15, adding that the suspect was thereafter arrested on December 23 by detectives from Ogudu Division.

The spokesperson alleged that the first victim, Adebiyi Adenike, a graduate became his friend on Facebook after the suspect presented himself as a surgeon.

“He requested for the sum of N200, 000 as PR and with her original certificate to enable him secure employment for her into the Customs and that he had a slot at the service,” Ms. Braide said.

She stated that both the suspect and the victim met and set out for the journey to Abuja, but along the way to Airport, the suspect pretended as if his vehicle had fault and asked her to come down and push the car.

“As soon as the victim pushed the car, he zoomed off with the victim’s credentials, ATM and PHCN cards,” she said.

Ms. Braide gave the names of other victims defrauded by the suspect as Okunola Folashade, Ibrahim Bukola and Adefemi Mercy.

She said that they were all NYSC (National Youth Service Corps) members who were defrauded by the same suspect on their way to Ibadan for community assignment.

The spokesperson alleged that they boarded his car to Ibadan on December 20, but on getting to the Tollgate, the suspected diverted to the old Lagos/Ibadan road where he pretended as if the car developed fault and asked them to push thereafter he zoomed off with all their belongings.

Ms. Braide said that the items stolen from the victims included a Laptop, unspecified sum of money, certificates, ATM card, toaster machine, cell phones and clothes.

The fifth victim, Akinbo Atinuke, also boarded the suspect’s vehicle at Berger on December 11, on her way to Ibadan, where the accused branched to a filling station and pretended the car could not start again.

The victim also pushed the car and he zoomed off. The spokesperson said that the victim also lost her laptop, phone, SSCE certificate, ATM card, NYSC discharge certificate, and N104, 000 that she withdrew from a bank with her ATM card.

Ms. Braide said that the suspect would be charged to court since all the witnesses were available with some exhibits. The suspect, the police person said, has also made a confessional statement.

NAN