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+--- Thread: How I was duped inside Lagos taxi – Victim (/showthread.php?tid=708)
How I was duped inside Lagos taxi – Victim - Mhiz Rebecca - 11-27-2016
victim of a three-man syndicate that
specialises in swindling unsuspecting members
of the public by pretending to have their
goods seized by the Nigerian Customs has told
the police how she was duped of N9,000.
Chiwenu Ibeh said she was going to Ojodu
Berger from Ojota, in Lagos, when a taxi
driver, in an ash-coloured Toyota Camry 1997
model with registration number SMK 886 DK,
stopped at the bus stop to pick her.
“As he drove along, he picked another
passenger on Kudirat Abiola Way,” said Mrs.
Ibeh.
“We were still on Kudirat Abiola Way when
the new passenger started a conversation in
something like French language with the
driver.”
Mrs. Ibeh said the driver then pleaded with
her that he wants to take the new passenger
to Custom’s Office on Mobolaji Bank Anthony
Way, where his goods were seized.
“It was here that their story changed and I
became the subject of their manipulation in
connivance with a Customs agent and a
pastor,” she said.
“Under the pretext that the four of us assist
the man whose goods were trapped with the
Customs over export duties, they brainwashed
me into releasing my ATM card, led me to
withdraw the last N9,000 from my account.
“After this, the pastor prayed for me and told
me to go home and get more money my family
kept at home.”
Mrs. Ibeh said the incident occurred last week.
“On Thursday, my husband and I were standing at the
Maryland Bus Stop,” she continued.
“I saw the same Toyota Camry with same number plate and a
new driver, but beside it was the former driver that lured me
into fraud, pretending to be passenger.
“I alerted RRS officers stationed in Maryland and they
arrested them.”
In a statement on Sunday, the police said they arrested the
driver, Kenneth Umukoro, 36, and his accomplice, Uba
Utokcha, 41.
The police said they also arrested two other suspects, Joseph
Onuoha and Ikechukwu Okeke separately but in similar
circumstances on Tuesday and Wednesday last week
respectively.
Mr. Onuoha told interrogators that he belonged to a fraud
syndicate led by one man simply identified as Toronto (who is
now at large), who trained over 40 of them to go out daily in
search of would-be victims, the police statement said.
“When we hit jackpot, we share it into five parts. Toronto
takes two parts. Two of us in a team share two and we would
share the remaining part to others,” the statement quoted Mr.
Onuoha, 40, as saying.
“Presently, our office in Ajegunle has been busted by the
police. Toronto as I was told has relocated to somewhere in
Surulere. Whenever we have issues with the police, he comes
around to secure our bail.”
Dolapo Badmus, the Police Public Relations Officer, said the
police would not relent in their duties of making the state
crime free and warned members of the public to be wary of
suspicious dealings.
The police said the four suspects have been transferred to the
State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti.