Osun State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps on Thursday paraded nine suspects arrested for various offences ranging from illegal mining, child abuse, car theft, and fraud.
Parading the suspects at the command’s headquarters in Osogbo, the state commandant of the NSCDC, Emmanuel Ocheja, said they would be prosecuted on completion of an investigation.
Presenting one of the suspects arrested for fraud, Ocheja said the 26-year old furniture maker, Muftau Adeyemo, and his accomplice, Hezekiah Oladehi, had obtained money from a woman, with a promise to assist her spiritually to improve her business.
Adeyemo said he engaged in fraud due to financial difficulty, adding that he had defrauded many people before he got into trouble after obtaining money from a woman who was seeking spiritual help.
He said, “I reside in Ile-Ife. I am married with a kid. I learnt furniture making after my secondary school but when I didn’t get money to start up my own shop, I decide to engage in illegal activities.
“I was into Yahoo Yahoo business before I learnt the act of obtaining money fraudulently through a brother who lives near my house in Ile-Ife. I have known Hezekiah since childhood and we do the business together. What we normally do is to call our victims on phone and pretend as an old herbalist who can solve their problems.
“My last victim wanted her business to boom and I told her to send money to my account, promising to prepare a charm that will attract more customers to her shop.”
Also paraded was a 29-year-old man, Ibrahim Abdulrahman, in whose custody a stolen car was recovered.
Ocheja said the car was stolen in Osogbo but was recovered by NSCDC officers in Kano State.
The suspect, however, denied stealing the car, claiming he bought the vehicle for N600, 000 and drove it to Kano.
Also paraded was a housewife, Zainab Afeez, who had allegedly molested her daughter by engaging her in child labour and poured hot water on her, while two others, Amos Danbaba and Mohammed Jubril, were paraded for illegal mining.
Others were Emmanuel Adeyeye, Nasir Adamu and Isa Muhammed, arrested for conspiracy and illegal dealing in petroleum products and adulteration.
