10th June, 2017
Paul Iyoghojie
A driver, Taoreed Rafiu, 53, a resident of Isheri Oshun Area of Lagos, Southwest Nigeria has been arrested by the operatives of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad, FSARS for allegedly conniving with two land agents to defraud his employer, Alhaji Tajudeen Opebiyi of the sum of N65 million.
The police identified the land agents as Alhaji Lawal Gbeleola,69 and Adekunle Salami, 51, both residence of Isheri Osun Area of Lagos.
Trouble began for the three suspects when Gbeleola and Salami approached the complainant that they had about 5,000 acres of land to sell to him.
The suspects were alleged to have told the complainant that before the land could be sold to him, he must compensate the land owners with the sum of N65 million to avoid unforeseen future legal disputes on the land.
The complainant, the police said, agreed to the suspect’s demands and started releasing money to them to settle the land owners.
It was gathered that when the complainant could not follow up the transactions anymore, due to old age and health challenges, he delegated his driver, Rafiu to monitor the suspects in the payment of compensation to the land owners unknown to him that the suspects were suspected fraudsters.
According to the police, as soon as the suspects realized that the presence of the driver in their midst could expose their secret, they allegedly opened up to the driver that they had no land to sell to his employer but only to defraud him.
The suspects were said to have pleaded with the driver not to tell his employer the truth about the land transactions with a promise to be giving him the sum of N500,000 from every money his employer released to them to compensate the land owners.
The police said that the driver out of greed, agreed to the suspects’ overtures and started collecting N500,000 from them and feeding his employer lies about the land transactions.
Police’s investigation revealed that after the complainant had completed the payment of N65 million to the land owners, he asked the suspects to take him to the land to enable his surveyors commenced work on it, but that the suspects, according to the police, allegedly told the complainant to stop disturbing them about the land matter or else they would kill him.
Following the threat to his life, the complainant reported the matter to the DCP FSARS, Ibrahim Kaoje who directed a team lead by DSP Odofin Segun to fish out the suspects.
Following intelligence gathering and tracking of the suspects, the police arrested the two suspects at their hide out at Isheri Osun Area of Lagos and took them to the station.
During investigation, the two suspects allegedly opened up and confessed to the police that they did not have any land to sell to the complainant, but only to defraud him.
The suspects also allegedly confessed that they paid the driver to the complainant about N3.5 million to tell his employer lies throughout the illegal land transactions.
Following their confessional statement, they led the police to arrest the driver who also confessed that he was bribed by the suspects to tell his employer lies in the land transactions.
After investigation, the three suspects were arraigned before an Igbosere Magistrate Court Lagos on a three-count charge of obtaining money under false pretence and stealing.
The accused persons pleaded not guilty to the alleged crime and Magistrate Mrs. O.O Oshin granted them bail in the sum of N1 million each with two sureties each in like sum.
The case has been adjourned to 16 June, 2017.