Posted by By JULIANA FRANCIS on
Three young men are now perfecting the act of story telling to escape the wrath of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) which is investigating them.
Three young men are now perfecting the act of story telling to escape the wrath of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) which is investigating them.
The trio, Oyemade Adesoji, Owolabi Gbenga and Adejare Taoheed were nabbed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency(NDLEA) for attempting to export fake money orders and travellers cheques valued at millions of naira, to South Africa.
The suspects, however, distanced themselves from the alleged crime. However, incriminating items were recovered from Oyemade Adesoji. The suspect, who was not ready to sink alone, fingered his friend, Gbenga.
Allegedly recovered from him were 295 pieces of money order amounting to 250,750 dollars, 1,480 dollars cash, 30 pieces of Barclays insurance (Dublin) Limited bank cheques, N33,000.00 cash, a bag containing personal effects, 89 pieces of travellers cheques worth 496,750 dollars, Third Bank American Express travellers cheques(102 pieces) and Chase American Express travellers cheque (101).
Immediately, they were apprehended, NDLEA handed them over to EFCC for further investigations.
Adesoji, 25, was said to have been arrested while undergoing screening before boarding a plane to South Africa. The suspect, who claimed to be a student of the University of South Africa, Pretoria, where he was studying Information Technology, said the parcel containing the items, does not belong to him.
According to him, prior to the day he was to travel, his friend, Owolabi Gbenga, called to inform him that there was a parcel he wanted him to take to his friend in South Africa. He claimed he accepted to assist Gbenga take the parcel to a man identified as Adeolu, in South Africa.
Adesoji claimed that his plan was to get in touch with Adeolu on phone immediately he got to South Africa.
EFCC Head of Media, Mr. Osita Nwajah, while commenting on the incident, said: "The mystery is that Oyemade claims that Gbenga brought the parcel to him the morning he was travelling and as such, he didn't have time to scrutinize what the content of the parcel was, as he had just proceeded to pack his luggage. He also insisted that he had never met Adeolu (prospective receiver) in South Africa."
Gbenga, 27, also denied knowing the contents of the parcel, though, he admitted handing it over to Adesoji.
Gbenga, who recently gained admission into the Lagos State University to study Business Administration, said he didn't pay attention to the contents of the parcel after he received it from one Uche. According him, he was preoccupied with thoughts of the registration process in school. He told the operatives that his friend, Adeolu, had earlier called to tell him that he would send Uche to bring some money to him.
Taoheed claimed to be innocent. The suspect, a secondary school leaver, claimed he also received a call from his friend in South Africa asking him to meet Adesoji to collect N10,000 to use it to buy clipper and sandals for him.
He claimed he was to hand over the items to Adesoji who would bring them to him.
According to Taoheed, he had already bought the items and taken them to Adesoji, when he walked into trouble. Adesoji was said to have begged him to assist him go to Ikeja to collect some items from one Bola. The following morning, Adesoji called Taoheed to see him off to the airport. Adesoji was undergoing the routine screening exercise when the watchful eyes of the narcotic agents found the items on him.
Daily Sun gathered that operatives of EFCC have already started investigating their claims.