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Idiroko command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA, has arrested five young men with N94,933,241.
Idiroko command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA, has arrested five young men with N94,933,241.
A statement by the agency's Public Affairs Officer, Ofoyeju Mitchell, said the arrests was on July 25, when one Adebusoye Oluwagbenga Samuel, who claimed to be a 200 level computer science student of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, Ogun State, was caught at the departure hall of Idiroko border at about 9:10a.m., with $107,000.
Samuel was on his way to Cotonou in Benin Republic when NDLEA officers found in his possession two brown envelopes containing photo album.
Fifty United States dollar at $950 per piece were arranged in a photo album in a brown envelope marked ‘A'.
In another brown envelope marked ‘B' were 56 United States of America money order at $950 per piece also arranged in an album.
The 106 money order amounted to $107,000. Samuel claimed ownership of the exhibits and also revealed that it was one Adekoya Oluwasheyi Gabriel that introduced him into the illicit business.
Four days later, the Idiroko command prevented what could have turned out to be a financial windfall for two young men, with the arrest of Hammed Kazeem on July 29, at about 5:16p.m. Hammed ,who resides at Obaagun Ifelodun Local Government Area of Osun State, and a second year student of College of Health Technology, Ilesha, was caught at the departure hall of the border while attempting to stamp a Nigerian international passport bearing the photograph of one Hassan Taiwo Kazeem with a different name.
Hammed was found in possession of seven white envelopes that contained 1,182 foreign cheques and money order.
amounting to six hundred and thirty one thousand, four hundred and thirty eight dollars forty two cents (S631,438.42) equivalent of seventy nine million, five hundred and sixty one thousand, two hundred and forty one naira (N79,561,241).On interrogation Hammed said that the foreign cheques and money orders belong to one Hassan Taiwo Kazeem of No. 15 Oripe close Bashorun Ibadan Oyo State . The following day 30th July 2007 Hassan Taiwo showed up at the Idiroko command office of the NDLEA and claimed ownership of the cheques and money orders found with Hammed Kazeem. According to the commander NDLEA Idiroko Area command Mr. Olutekunbi Davies 'investigation has revealed that Hassan Taiwo has a foreign based syndicate that specializes in foreign cheques fraud". Davies who described the involvement of students in financial crime as ominous said that in addition to the control of illicit drugs, the command will move against any form of money laundering activity".Similarly, Musa Ufedo Raphael a 2005 graduate of pharmacy from the University of Lagos was arrested alongside Frayo Amadikaulo at Idiroko border while going to Benin Republic to post a foreign cheque worth fifteen thousand dollars (S15,000) equivalent of one million eight hundred and ninety thousand naira (N1,890,000). Raphael 32 years said that a friend of his based in Libya by name Onos Onoriede called him to collect a cheque from one Odion. He got linked up with Odion through telephone conversation who gave him the cheque and 100 dollar for postage.
Investigation has shown that the fear that the cheques will be intercepted in Nigeria by security operatives has made the suspects to cross over to neighbouring Benin Republic to send the foreign cheques and money orders to their unsuspecting victims.On August 10, 2007 the command also arrested one Aminat Morankinyo with 15 kilogrammes of Indian hemp. Aminat 23 years and mother of two was arrested along Ilara-Imeko road. Another 50 year old widow Mabel Johnson a native of Oleh in Isoko Local Government Area of Delta State was arrested in Mobo near Idiroko with 250 grammes of Indian hemp. The widow who claimed to be a farmer said she is on doctor's advice not to engage in any hard work. Unfortunately, rather than engage in other legitimate businesses, she chose to deal in Indian hemp.All the cases will soon be charged to court but those involving financial crimes that are not drug related will be transferred to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC). However, Hammed Kazeem and Hassan Taiwo had already been transferred to the EFCC for prosecution.