The Osun State Police Command has apprehended four men for allegedly defrauding over 30 traders in the state.
The suspects, including a 54-year-old dismissed civil servant, Olalere Gbenga, and his friend, Muftau Balogun, aged 37, were said to have serially purchased food items, clothing materials and other items from unsuspecting sellers and used fake transfer in paying them.
It was gathered that the suspects had been arrested by the police last year and arraigned before a Chief Magistrate’s Court sitting in Osogbo, capital of Osun State for allegedly buying different items from about 25 traders with fake bank transfers.
Upon arraignment, they were initially remanded, spending two months in Ilesa Correctional Centre before being granted bail.
Not long after they left the prison they resumed their criminal activities. However, luck ran out on them as personnel of the police arrested them.
Confirming their arrest, Osun police command spokesperson, Yemisi Opalola, explained that the suspects, while on court bail, fraudulently bought three bags of 50kg rice using fake bank alerts.
Opalola said the suspects had previously been arrested, charged to court, and remanded at the Ilesa Correctional Centre for two months (September to November 2024) for committing a similar offence.
“Despite being granted bail, they went on to commit the same crime again, purchasing rice with fake transfer alerts,” she said.
She revealed that the suspects were arrested on January 6, 2025, at about 6:45 pm, following a tip-off from members of the Local Hunters Group, Osogbo.
The PPRO added that Gbenga and Balogun were previously arrested by police operatives from the Ata-Oja Division in September 2024 for a similar offence reported by about 25 complainants.
During the interview, Gbenga disclosed that he was dismissed from the Ministry of Finance in Oyo State before meeting Balogun on the street and making him a partner in crime.
Similarly, the command also arrested two suspects, Adebayo Adesanya and Olansile Abdulateef, for allegedly using a fake bank transfer to purchase clothes worth N160, 000 at a fashion boutique in Ede town.
Opalola disclosed that several exhibits were recovered from the suspects which included a Toyota Venza car, four bags of foreign rice, three different Opay ATM cards, local charms, and other items.
According to her, the suspects committed the crime on January 10, 2025 at about 8:30 p.m., when they entered the complainant’s boutique shop in the Agip Area of Ede, bought different types of clothes worth N160, 000, and made a fake transfer through an Opay ATM card.
“On receipt of the report, police officers swung into action, and two suspects, namely Adebayo Adesanya and Olansile Abdullateef, both of Oba Akarigbo Area, Sagamu Ogun State, were arrested together with exhibits mentioned above.
“During interrogation, they confessed to having acquired the items recovered from their car by deceiving their victims with fake transfers through Opay ATM cards. Suspects will be charged to court after the completion of the investigation,” Opalola added.
