Find the EFCC press statement below…
A deadly syndicate of fraudsters who virtually opened an
office for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in
Akure, the Ondo State capital, from where they dispatch fake
invitation letters to unsuspecting heads of government
agencies purporting to be carrying out investigation
activities against them, has been uncovered.
The kingpin of the syndicate, one Olubunmo Olalekan, who is
currently in EFCC custody in Abuja, was arrested by operatives of
the Department of State Service, DSS, and handed over to the
Commission.
At the point of arrest, Olalekan who parades himself as a Principal
Detective Superintendent of the EFCC, had in his possession fake
letter head papers of the Commission, 30 GSM sim cards, assorted
complimentary cards, a laptop computer and printer from where he
churns out the fraudulent invitation letters.
His modus operandi is to send out the bulk invitation letters to as
many agencies as possible, via courier, claiming to have pending
petitions alleging corruption against their heads.
Investigations so far revealed that the suspect has written and
distributed over sixty letters purportedly from the Commission to
several top officials of ministries, department and agencies.
Among them are the chairman, Oyo State Universal Basic
Education Board, Ibadan; Managing Director, NPDC Limited,
Sapele Road, Benin City; Professor Idowu Odeyemi, Provost
Nigerian Institute of Mining and Geosciences, Jos; Managing
Director/Chief Executive Office, Jebba Hydro Electric Plc, Jebba,
Niger State; Medical Director, National Obstetric Fistula Centre,
Abakaliki, Ebonyi State; Dr. Iyela Ajayi, Provost Federal College of
Education, Okene, Kogi State and a host of others.
He would leave a GSM number in the letters asking the agency
heads to contact a PDS Adeniyi. Those who fall for the scam are
asked to pay money for the purported case against them to be
dropped.
The syndicate had gone to the extent of issuing clearance letters
to those that met their terms.
But some heads of agencies that are sure they had done nothing
untoward to warrant investigation by the EFCC have been bold to
contact the Commission, which was how Olalekan was nabbed.
Dr. Asunyikanmu Pius, director of Technical Aids Corps, Abuja
was one of the agency heads targeted by the scammer. But once
he received the invitation letter with instruction to contact a PDS
Adeniyi, Dr. Pius alerted the Commission. He was encouraged to
play along and consequently paid the sum of N2 million into an
Access Bank Account as demanded by the suspect to throw the
case. A sting operation was planned, but Olalekan was arrested by
men of the DSS before he could draw the money.
Investigation so far revealed that the suspect who operates from
his home in Shagari Extension, Akure, Ondo State has obtained
millions of naira from victims who were willing to pay his price to
escape the ordeal of a phantom investigation. Unknown to them,
they had enriched a fraudster.
Olalekan is not the lone player in this scheme of trickery. His two
accomplices, a certain Ahaji Yero and one Mr Bako are currently
at large even as the EFCC launches a massive manhunt to bring
them to justice.
Olalekan’s arrest represents a major breakthrough in the effort of
the EFCC to break the ring of fraudsters that specializes in
impersonating officials of the agency to dupe unsuspecting
members of the public.
The Commission has repeatedly warned members of the public to
be wary of invitation letters purportedly emanating from the
agency with instructions to contact any supposed official through
a GSM line.
No authentic EFCC invitation letter will request anybody to contact
an official by telephone. Rather, you are asked to report at an
EFCC office to be interviewed by a designated officer.
Members of the public are encouraged to report any suspicious
invitation to the Commission’s Department of Internal Affairs by
email: DIA@EFCCNIGERIA.ORG or call this number: 09- 9044758
between 8am and 5pm weekdays only.
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