•Three duplexes in Lekki, over N200m in bank accounts
Judgment has been pronounced on two Nigerian fraudsters, Tobilola Ibrahim Bakare and Alimi Seun Sikiru, as they lost cash and property in upscale Lekki axis of Lagos State to the Federal Government, following their arrest and successful prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The forfeited assets included the sums of N196,741,216.82 million and N7,054,852.01 million in bank accounts, two vehicles – a Mercedes Benz E500 and a Toyota Hilux 2020, and a five-bedroom duplex situated at Ibrahim Eleto Street, Osopa London, Lekki, Lagos, four-bedroom semi-detached duplex situated at Ologolo, Jakande, Lekki, Lagos and another four-bedroom semi-detached duplex in Southern View Estate, Mayor Court, Chevron Alternative Road, Lekki, Lagos.
The two vehicles were valued at N30 million while the three duplexes were valued at N230 million.
EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed this on Monday, August 9, 2021.
The fraudsters gave up the assets as they could not give satisfactory explanation of the funds and property linked to them. They however confessed to involvement in cybercrime.
Bakare, 27, an indigene of Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, claimed that he was into Business Email Compromise, and that he had hacked into different companies outside the shores of Nigeria.
Thenewsbearer learnt that the scammers had been successful in their ignoble trade, earning a cumulative sum of $1million from victims, including three foreign airlines through Business Email Compromise fraud. They had laundered the proceeds of crime in acquiring property including real estate and luxury vehicles.
Life was good, but their comeuppance began in September 2020, when EFCC operatives, in the course of investigating a case of suspicious transactions and money laundering involving one Kehinde Adelakun, a convicted internet fraudster, stumbled on evidence linking Alvine International Resources Ventures, owned by the second defendant, Sikiru.
The transaction that set off the alarm bell was an inflow of N5 million in two tranches from Alvine International Resources Ventures.
Further probing by the investigators revealed several inflows suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities in both the Sterling Bank and Polaris accounts of the second defendant.
The balance in both accounts, N196,741,216.82 million in Sterling Bank and N7,054,852.01 million in Polaris Bank, were swiftly placed on a Post No Debit, to forestall dissipation of the funds pending the conclusion of investigation and determination of the case.
Thenewsbearer further gathered that the second defendant, in his statement to the EFCC, admitted that majority of the funds found in his account were from the first defendant, Bakare, who confessed to being into Business Email Compromise, BEC, between 2009 and 2020 and also hacking into the accounts of KLM, Turkish Airlines and British Airways.
The fraudsters were subsequently arraigned before Justice O. A Taiwo of the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja on a five-count amended charge bordering on conspiracy and retaining stolen property, an offence contrary to Sections 411 and 328 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State.
One of the counts read: “Tobilola Ibrahim Bakare and Alimi Seun Sikiru, sometime in 2020 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, conspired to commit felony to wit: retaining cumulative sum of about $1,000.000,00 (One Million United States of America Dollars) property of KLM, Turkish Airways and British Airways.”
Another count read: “Tobiloba Ibrahim Bakare and Alimi Seun Sikiru, sometime in 2020 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with a dishonest intent, retained four-bedroom detached duplex situated at Ologolo Jakande, Lekki, Lagos.”
They had pleaded guilty to the charges preferred against them.
Delivering judgment, Justice Taiwo noted that the action of the defendants was “responsible for giving Nigeria a bad image globally, whereby the average Nigerian is looked upon as being untrustworthy and fraudulent”.
She convicted and sentenced Bakare to three years imprisonment on counts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, with the option of fine of N3 million.
The judge also convicted and sentenced Sikiru to three years imprisonment on counts 1 and 5, with an option of fine of N1 million.
