11th April, 2016
Paul Iyoghojie
The Police at the Onikan Division, Ikoyi, Lagos,Western Nigeria have arrested a 20-year old boy, Sarduna Onum who allegedly specialises in giving false information to the police in Nigeria that armed men attacked and robbed him of money and handsets.
Police alleged that the suspect have succeeded in the criminal act for about three years in Bayelsa, Rivers, Ogun and other states to deceive the police with false information which subsequently leads to arrest innocent members of the public he alleged robbed him, who though did not commit the alleged offence to compel them to refund the money and other items he alleged was robbed from him at the station.
Police alleged that nemesis caught up with the suspect when on 8 March, 2016 he went to the Onikan police Division, Ikoyi Lagos to lodge a complaint that some men robbed him of the sum of N100,000 and a Tecno handset at Ikoyi area of Lagos.
It was learnt that while the suspect was narrating his alleged false story to the police at the station, a newly transferred female police officer to the Onikan Division who in August last year investigated a similar case the boy reported at a police station in Bayelsa, raised an alarm and said the boy was a fraud, saying she had investigated a similar case for the boy in Bayelsa State and discovered that he was a liar.
Following the development, the female Divisional Police Officer in charge of Onikan Division ordered her men to arrest the suspect and investigate him.
During investigation, according to the police, the suspect allegedly confessed that he feeds on giving false information to the police.
He said he makes up stories of how he was attacked by robbers while pointing out that his innocent victims are arrested and subjected to hardship, adding that, he had defrauded many people at various police stations in Nigeria with the method.
“I started visiting Police Stations to give false information that some men robbed me of money and handsets which was not true due to hardship I suffered after my father died few years ago.
“And I have given false information of robbery attack on me to the police in Bayelsa ,Rivers, Ogun and Lagos states and the Police always believe me because to my age and innocent look.
“And when they lead me to the crime scene, I will point at innocent people as the suspects, and the police will arrest them and take them to the station unknown to them that I fabricated the allegations just to get money to survive.
“And at the station, I will threaten the police to charge the suspects to court or I write a petition against them, and with the threat, all the arrested suspects will find a way to refund what I claimed they stole from me.
“And the police have not been able to detect that I was lying until the female officer who investigated a similar case for me in Bayelsa State last year exposed me when she saw me narrating the same robbery story to the police at Onikan Division, Ikoyi, Lagos.
Speaking on his plight, he said: “I believe Almighty God want me to repent that is why he sent the police officer who investigated a similar case I reported at a police station in Bayelsa State last year to Lagos to expose me.
“I am appealing to the Nigerian Police to forgive me for deceiving them to arrest innocent people for me to extort money from them,” Onum said.
After investigation, the suspect of no fixed address was arraigned before an Igbosere magistrates’ court, Lagos on a two-count charge of felony to wit and giving false information to the police to defraud members of the public and conducts likely to cause breach of public peace.
The police said the offences the accused committed are punishable under sections 93 and 166(d) of the criminal laws of Lagos State, 2011.
The accused however pleaded not guilty to the alleged crime in open court.
Magistrate, Mr P.A Adekomaiya admitted him to bail in the sum of N50,000 with two sureties in like sum.
Mr Adekomaiya adjourned the case till 25 April, 2016 for mention, while the defendant was taken to Ikoyi prison, Lagos pending when he will fulfil his bail conditions.