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Senior Police Officer accused of running fraud syndicate in Lagos

Published

4 years ago

May 9, 2022

Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alabi

A Lagos State-based businesswoman, Osuji Onyedikanne, has accused an unknown Senior Police Officer of running a fraud syndicate in Lagos State and assisting suspected members of such syndicates to evade justice.

This much was contained in a petitioned addressed to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alabi.

The CP, who is aware of the incident following the petition, appeared to be helpless as it has become apparent that an unknown Senior Police Officer is calling the shot.

It was alleged that this officer, immediately suspected syndicate members are arrested, would call and the Investigating Police Officers would start running and scampering about in fright and obeisance and before one could say Jack Robison, these members would saunter out of the police station.

In the petition dated April 8, 2022, addressed to the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Police Command, Onyedikanne, who runs a travels and tours company, alleged that the unfortunate incident which led going to her going to the police, seeking for justice and closure, started in February 2022.

This was the period when one Mrs. Stephens colluded with others to defraud her in the guise of involving her in her business.

Onyedikanne said that she met Stephens at an event in Lagos in 2019 and they had chatted and had since remained in communication.

In April 2022, Stephens came to her with four men, including a self-proclaimed lawyer, identified simply as Emeka, and lured her into funding a business which she was meant to believe she would be part of.

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They used the name of a dubious company given as Golden Knights Ltd/Golden Knights International Sports Ltd, and claimed that they use the company to recruit upcoming football stars for trial in Spain.

They printed and distributed fliers and made claims of collaborating with the Nasarawa State Government as well as the Embassy of Spain, for which they tendered several documents that made her feel convinced about the genuineness of the business.

They collected from her the initial sum of N6 million and seeing that they had won her confidence, Stephens later came back and collected another sum of N4.5 million in the pretense that she was investing it in another business for her.

The Executive Director of Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre, Okechukwu Nwanguma, who is fighting for justice for the victim, said: “She informed us that what convinced her to facilitate the last loan of N6million for them was because they showed her a document written in Spanish which they claimed was an MOU they reached and signed with the Consular, Spanish Embassy Lagos. They claimed that the Consular had agreed to be issuing them visas if they register the company in Spain and then fund the account with about €10,000 – €20,000 and leave the money in the account for two weeks as proof of funds.

“After receiving the money, they absconded and were no longer taking her calls. It was then she realised that they were a syndicate of fraudsters which specialise in defrauding innocent citizens in the guise of investments in importation, exportation, and business establishment. She said she later found out that there were other victims who had been defrauded by this same syndicate and who are still making efforts to recover their money but to no avail as they seem to be enjoying the cover of a particular senior police officer who always intervenes to get them released whenever they were arrested by the police. This has emboldened them to continue in their criminal activities. One of the syndicate members, Emeka, who laid doubtful claims to being a lawyer always boasts of being a member of the Buccaneers secret cult and threatened to send his cult member after victims if they pressed too much for refund. This has been the fate of Onyedikanne.”

Nwanguma stated that when the complainant eventually got them, they threatened her life and those of her beloved ones.

Within this period, her aged father was kidnapped and because she was in dire financial straits as a result of the huge losses she had incurred to these fraudsters, she had to borrow to pay the ransom demanded by the kidnappers to free her aged father from captivity.

All this has combined to put her in serious debts and pressure from clients whom she collected money from to procure visas and travel documents for.

Onyedikanne attached all the relevant documents to her petition evidencing the transactions and communications between her and Stephens, including evidences of payments into the two bank accounts provided by Stephens.

CP Alabi was said to have promptly responded to her appeal to use his good offices to ensure that the fraudsters were arrested and brought to book before they executed their threats to eliminate her and her family members.

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The CP approved the petition and directed it to the Special Investigation Bureau to investigate.

The suspects were arrested on April 13, 2022 at about 6:45pm.

But to her chagrin, they were released as soon as she left the police station without any communication to her or any commitment of payment or any investigation.

The police team promise to obtain a search warrant to be executed on the suspects’ residences is yet to be fulfilled.

As soon as they were released, the suspects went to parade themselves in front of the complainant’s office in a show of being untouchable.

Onyedikanne called the two Investigating Police Officers identified as Wale and the other simply called ‘Accountant’ and later also called the team leader, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, Dominic Amechi, but none of them picked her calls.

After the Easter holidays, she went to the Command headquarters to inquire what transpired and the IPOs told her that “one Oga called for their release on the grounds that they were to pay N1,000,000, that same day and bring N2,000,000.00 the next four days.”

Nwanguma said: “They placated her and assured her that they were on top of the matter. By the time she went back to the Command four days later, which was on 19th April, the suspects had not dropped any money at all and IPO Dominic was nowhere to be found. She then went to the Officer in charge of Special Investigation Bureau (SIB), a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), Mohammed Alkasim, who, after listening to her, ordered that the suspects should be re-arrested and detained since they did not keep to their promise.

“He directed Superintendent of Police (SP), named Justice, to stand in brief for Dominic since he was not around.

“Justice reminded Emeka, the self-acclaimed lawyer and a member of the syndicate that they had promised, in his presence, to pay N2million before their release and up to that date they were yet to bring any money.

“Emeka responded that the money was intact in their account and that it would not take them an hour to bring out the money.

“Justice asked why they did not want to give the woman her money and instead subjecting her to stress. Emeka kept mum.

“Justice then said they were to be detained and Onyedikanne left the command at about 9:45pm. When she called in the morning, to find out if they had brought some money, she was informed that they had been released again, on the intervention of the same faceless ‘Oga’ and that the ‘Oga’ facilitated the suspects’ release at 12am.”

While this was still going on, Onyedikanne said IPOs Dominic and ‘Accountant’ called and asked her to bring Stephens’ passport, which the woman had dropped with her as part of the collateral for the loan.

The police threatened her that if she did not return the passport, she would become an accused in her own case.

Onyedikanne, who was shocked to her bone marrows, asked what they were talking about, to which they responded that it was another order from the same “Oga.”

The human rights activist said: “She asked them ‘what about my N9.5m and my clients’ passports which the same syndicate is holding?’ They said it didn’t matter. She said that because the fraudsters believed they had fully compromised the police, they have refused to bring the six passports of her clients till now, insisting that they would only bring the passports on the condition that she returns Stephen’s passport. She decided to go back to the CP, and after explaining her predicaments, she said the CP was angry but held back his reservations and asked her to go and see the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) in charge of Operations, Mohammed Kontagora, which she did.

“Kontagora instructed the O/C SIB to invite the suspects back to the command. Till date, the suspects are yet to show up after three appointments and invitations for them to come even on the orders of the DC Ops.

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“The IPOs would say the suspects changed the date to a convenient date and yet they would not show up at the next date.”

“Onyedinanne said she informed the police that Stephens and her son, Desmond, who is also a member of the syndicate, have been living at Dohela Hotels & Suites, 6, Ijero Street by Kilo Bus Stop, Ikate, Surulere, Lagos since June 2021, without any defined means of livelihood, but they refused to do anything about it, rather they pass all the information to the suspects thereby endangering her life.”

Nwanguma noted that owing to the indication that the investigators at the SIB, Lagos State Police Command might have been compromised by allowing the fraud syndicate suspects to dictate the pace of investigation for asking the complainant to return the prime suspect’s passport which she dropped as part of collateral, while she was still holding six of her clients’ passports, and was yet to pay back the money she fraudulently obtained from her, and with the investigators threatening to “turn the complainant into the accused” if she failed to return the accused person’s passport, Onyedikanne stated that she had lost confidence in the SIB team.

The complainant appealed to the Inspector General of Police, Alkali Baba, to urgently direct the Assistant Inspector General of the Force Criminal Investigations Department, Alagbon, Lagos to take over the investigation with a view to ensuring a prompt, impartial and exhaustive investigation, ensuring that these fraudsters pay back her money, release her clients’ passports, and are also fully unraveled to identify other crimes they had perpetrated against other unsuspecting citizens.

EAGLE

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Woman dies after husband allegedly assaults her over cooking, dance class

Published

7 hours ago

September 9, 2026

Trends Admin

Woman dies after husband allegedly assaults her over cooking, dance class

A 38-year-old woman, Yamini Krishna Lal Yadav, has died in Nagpur, India, after her husband allegedly assaulted her during an argument over cooking and her decision to attend a dance class.

The woman’s husband, Krishna Lal Yadav, 41, has been arrested and booked in connection with her death after a post-mortem examination reportedly revealed serious internal injuries.

The incident occurred in the Mankapur area of Nagpur, Maharashtra, where the couple lived with their two young children.

According to reports, Krishna returned home from work and asked his wife to prepare food for him and the children. Yamini, however, was reportedly preparing to attend a dance class within their housing society and declined to cook at the time.

The disagreement allegedly escalated into a physical confrontation. Police said the husband was reportedly under the influence of alcohol when he allegedly assaulted Yamini around her neck and abdomen. The incident reportedly occurred in the presence of their children.

After the alleged assault, Yamini complained of severe pain in her neck and abdomen and reportedly asked her husband to get painkillers. He allegedly went to a nearby medical shop but returned after finding it closed.

Her condition later deteriorated, with her abdomen reportedly becoming swollen. She was subsequently taken to a private hospital in the area for treatment but died while receiving medical attention.

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The case initially appeared to be an accidental death, prompting police to send her body for a post-mortem examination.

However, the examination reportedly revealed a fractured neck bone and severe internal injuries, including serious damage to the intestines. Reports also indicated injuries consistent with strangulation and abdominal trauma, prompting investigators to reconsider the circumstances surrounding her death.

Following the post-mortem findings, police questioned Krishna and subsequently arrested him. A murder case was registered against him as investigations continued.

Yamini’s brother reportedly said the family was aware that the couple had experienced disagreements in the past. He said Yamini had occasionally spoken about problems in the marriage but had asked relatives not to intervene because she feared their involvement could worsen the situation.

The family initially believed Yamini had died following a medical emergency and was reportedly shocked when the post-mortem examination revealed evidence of significant physical injuries.

Police are continuing their investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of the Nagpur woman, while the accused remains in custody over the allegations.

The case has renewed concerns about domestic violence, particularly the need for victims experiencing abuse to have access to timely support and protection.

Woman dies after husband allegedly assaults her over cooking, dance class

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NSCIA warns FG against weaponising state institutions in El-Rufai case

Published

8 hours ago

September 9, 2026

Trends Admin

Secretary-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Prof. Is-haq Oloyede

NSCIA warns FG against weaponising state institutions in El-Rufai case

The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs breaks its silence on the former governor’s legal ordeal, citing “serious concerns” over possible sectarian agenda in the multiple prosecutions keeping El-Rufai in the spotlight.

ABUJA – The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has raised the alarm over what it described as “an extraneous involvement of an underlying religious bias” in the ongoing prosecutions of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai. The Islamic body, which had deliberately stayed out of the controversy until now, said recent developments had forced it to break its silence on the matter. In a statement signed by its Secretary-General and immediate-past Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, the NSCIA explained that its earlier restraint was based on its belief that El-Rufai’s prosecution, like those involving other political figures, was a standard judicial process and that the judiciary had the inherent capacity to uphold justice. However, the council said recent developments in the public domain had raised serious concerns that strongly suggested religious considerations might be creeping into a process that should be determined solely by law and evidence.

The NSCIA called on the Federal Government and the Judiciary to ensure that individuals with vested religious interests were strictly prevented from weaponising public institutions or the legal system to pursue what it described as a sectarian agenda against El-Rufai. “Consequently, the Council calls upon the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Judiciary to ensure that individuals with vested religious interests are strictly prevented from weaponizing public institutions or the legal system to execute a sectarian agenda against him,” the statement read. The council stressed that its position was anchored on the Islamic principle of justice and fairness, regardless of political, religious or personal considerations, and clarified that its intervention was not intended to interfere with the judicial process but to emphasise the need for justice to be administered without religious or sectarian considerations. The Islamic body also appealed to the general public to refrain from incendiary comments that could prejudice the fair trial of El-Rufai or exacerbate the security situation in the nation. “Furthermore, the Council appeals to the general public to refrain from incendiary comments that could prejudice the fair trial of Mallam El-Rufai or exacerbate the security situation in our nation,” the statement read.

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The NSCIA‘s intervention comes against the backdrop of a protracted legal battle that has kept El-Rufai in the spotlight since February 2026. The former governor is facing multiple prosecutions by different agencies on charges bordering on alleged abuse of office, money laundering, breach of national security, and wiretapping. The council’s decision to speak out followed comments by the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), who accused El-Rufai of planning killings in Southern Kaduna while he was governor between 2015 and 2023. Musa had described the situation in Kaduna during El-Rufai’s administration as “toxic”, adding that many residents of Southern Kaduna remained unhappy with the former governor over killings recorded in the area.

El-Rufai, through his family, rejected the allegation and demanded that the minister withdraw the claim, with his eldest son, Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, giving Musa seven days to provide evidence supporting the allegation or publicly retract it. The controversy generated by Musa’s remarks has further widened the debate surrounding El-Rufai’s legal battles, with the NSCIA‘s intervention effectively placing the prosecution within a wider debate over the alleged politicisation and religious manipulation of state institutions. The Middle Belt Forum (MBF) has taken a sharply divergent position, backing the Defence Minister’s allegations and demanding an independent investigation into alleged killings and human rights abuses during El-Rufai’s administration, with possible prosecution before the International Criminal Court (ICC). The NSCIA’s intervention, which did not identify any individual or group it accused of pursuing a religious agenda, serves as a significant development in a case that has become a flashpoint for broader debates about judicial independence, political persecution, and religious neutrality in Nigeria’s legal system.

The council concluded its statement by praying for peace, stability and security in Nigeria. “May Almighty Allah grant peace, stability, and security to Nigeria,” it said.

NSCIA warns FG against weaponising state institutions in El-Rufai case

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Bandits abduct Kaduna lawmaker’s brother, kill three KADVS operatives

Published

9 hours ago

September 9, 2026

Trends Admin

Commissioner of Police, Kaduna State, CP Muhammad Rabiu

Bandits abduct Kaduna lawmaker’s brother, kill three KADVS operatives

Suspected bandits have abducted the younger brother of a Kaduna State lawmaker and killed three personnel of the Kaduna State Vigilance Service (KADVS) in separate attacks in Kubau Local Government Area of the state.

The incidents, which occurred within hours of each other, have heightened security concerns in Pambegua and surrounding communities, with the attacks taking place along the Zaria-Pambegua axis before the lawmaker’s brother was abducted from his residence.

The KADVS Public Relations Officer, Yunusa Ibrahim, confirmed the incidents in a statement issued on Tuesday.

Ibrahim identified the abducted victim as Sanusi, the younger brother of Shehu Pambegua, who represents Kubau Constituency in the Kaduna State House of Assembly.

According to the KADVS spokesman, the suspected attackers arrived at Sanusi’s residence in a Sharon vehicle at about 10pm on Monday and forcibly took him away.

The abduction came after three KADVS personnel were killed earlier in the day while carrying out a routine security operation in the area.

The deceased personnel were identified as Dallami Dantani, the Second-in-Command of KADVS in Kubau, Abdullahi Hamisu and Zakariyya Musa.

Ibrahim said the incident began when the vigilantes attempted to stop a red Volkswagen Golf Salon during a routine check, but the driver allegedly refused to comply.

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The KADVS personnel reportedly pursued the vehicle in their patrol van in an effort to identify the occupants and establish why they were travelling through the area.

The occupants allegedly opened fire during the pursuit, killing Dantani.

The attackers reportedly turned back towards the KADVS office after the initial shooting and opened fire on the personnel there, killing Hamisu and Musa before escaping towards Zaria.

The killings occurred hours before Sanusi was reportedly abducted from his residence, creating renewed anxiety among residents and security personnel in the area.

Reacting to the deaths, the Kaduna State Commander of KADVS, CP Ali Audu (rtd.), condoled with the families of the three personnel and described their deaths as a major loss to the service.

Audu praised the deceased personnel for their courage and commitment to duty, assuring their families that their sacrifices would be remembered.

He also pledged the continued support of the service to the bereaved families.

The KADVS commander disclosed that security surveillance had been intensified in Pambegua and neighbouring communities as efforts continued to locate the abducted victim and identify those responsible for the attacks.

He urged KADVS personnel to remain vigilant while carrying out their duties and strengthen collaboration with other security agencies, particularly in communities regarded as vulnerable to bandit attacks and kidnapping.

Audu reaffirmed the service’s commitment to protecting residents and property across Kaduna State.

As of the latest reports, authorities have not announced the arrest of any suspect or the rescue of Sanusi. The circumstances surrounding his abduction remain under investigation as security agencies intensify efforts to locate him and bring those responsible for the attacks to justice.

The latest incidents have further underscored the security challenges facing parts of Kaduna State, where residents have continued to contend with threats linked to banditry, kidnapping and armed attacks.