Police bust Internet fraudsters’ academy in Lagos, arrest 10
The Lagos State Police Command has uncovered an illegal Internet fraud training facility, commonly referred to as a ‘Yahoo School’ operating in the Iju area of Lagos State.
During the operations, the Police Detectives arrested 22-year-old Chibuike Ihejika, 22-year-old Stanley Ihejika, 26-year-old Obiora Onyedibe, and 25-year-old Emmanuel Onyedibe, who are the Yahoo experts running the notorious school.
The other six suspects are their criminal trainees, all of whom were undergoing training in cybercrime and fraud.
During the operation, the trainees, comprising Okorie Henry, 20; OtohChisom, 26; Okeke Kwufrochikwu, 26; Uchenna Obeji, 12; Minachi Udochukwu, 23; and Chinedu Ukachukwu, were nabbed by the officers.
The Command said that the principal suspects of the facility recruited their trainees from Anambra State and engaged them in committing Internet fraud and other related crimes. The proceeds from their fraudulent activities were confiscated by the principal suspects.
All the suspects have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Yaba, for further discreet investigation and prosecution.
Spokesperson for the state Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, said: “Efforts are ongoing to apprehend the sponsors who financed the trainees’ enrollment in the school as well as the owner of the facility where these criminal and illegal activities took place.
“The owner of the facility is hereby warned in his interest to turn himself in immediately at the SCID Panti from wherever he is hiding.”
The Lagos State Police Command said it will ensure that all suspects are charged to court upon the conclusion of an investigation into the case.
He explained that the underage suspect among them, with healing marks of injuries on his body allegedly inflicted on him by the principal suspect to compel him into the commission of the criminal act, is being given medical attention and kept in protective custody till his relatives are identified and reunited.
