Two young men, Kelvin Godwin Ogashi and Amos Ehis Asuelimen aged 18 and 30 years respectively are now guests of the Department of State Services, DSS, in Edo State saying all they know about their alleged involvement in internet fraud using the names of Nigeria’s vice-president, Yemi Osinbajo, senior advocate of Nigeria, SAN, and the country’s first lady, Aisha Muhammadu Buhari.
The duo, paraded before newsmen Wednesday, had been singing like a canary, admitting to the crimes. Deputy Director, security, Galadima Byange who represented the state DSS director, Brown Ekwoaba, said the arrest of the suspected internet fraudsters who had been using the names of Osinbajo and Aisha Buhari to defraud unsuspecting members of the public, followed two tactical operations carried out by the organization. While Asuelimen, an undergraduate in the department of Business Administration, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, was arrested July 25 at Ubiaja, Esan South-east local government area of Edo State, Ogashi was nabbed the following day, July 26, at old Agbor Road in Ikpoba Okha local government area of the state.
Asuelimen, who was arrested in connection with a fictitious Facebook account he created in his confessional statement, said “I know why I am arrested. I created a Facebook account bearing Yemi Osinbajo to scam people…I created it using my Infinix Android phone”. The university undergraduate with matriculation number FMS/BUS/10/01358, who said he resorted to fraud in order to fund his education, exonerated his parents of complicity in the crime, stating that “my parents are not aware and nobody is aware that am doing fraud. Am into fraud because I was thinking I can get money to pay my fees and complete my degree course in Business Administration”.
No fewer than five persons had fallen victim to Asuelimen’s scam before the long arm of the law caught up with him. He claimed to have convinced them to send money and recharge cards in order to process their registration, and subsequent eligibility for a loan of N100, 000 (One hundred thousand naira) each.
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Ogashi on his part, according to Byange, confessed to creating an Instagram account with the name and picture of Nigeria’s first lady for the purpose of swindling unsuspecting members of the public, adding that “he further confessed to have created the account in May 2019 with a message that the First Lady was empowering Nigerian youths with cash to start up their businesses and that interested persons were required to register with money”.
According to Byange, Ogashi’s accomplices who were not named were still at large. He said the two suspects would soon be arraigned. The DSS advised youths engaged in, or contemplating to engage in fraudulent behavior, to engage themselves in decent productive ventures or risk being “guest” of law enforcement agencies, stressing that there is no short-cut to wealth. While also assuring that the organization would continue to guarantee security of life and property of law-abiding citizens and residents of the state, Byange warned those contemplating to engage in any security breach to think twice or be made to face the wrath of the law.
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