Lagos State Police Command has arrested four suspected fraudsters who are allegedly operating a school in Oreyo, the Igbogbo area of Ikorodu, Lagos State, where fraudsters are trained. Their illicit activities became known when some of their students from different parts of the country showed signs of torture.
The suspects, Precious Mayor, Prince Afam, Israel Simon, and Emmanuela Mayor, were also accused of hostage-taking after having accommodated three male adults identified as Ejika Ozor, 22; Emeka Ukegbu, 20; and Solomon Uche, 19, who came from Imo State to learn cyber fraud.
According to reports, at the commencement of their apprenticeship, they were locked indoors and given a target to learn how to defraud unsuspecting victims.
After failing to get results after some days of training, the victims were beaten and subjected to different forms of torture every day by their hosts.
Frustrated by the style of learning, the three male adults, who had been deprived of stepping out of the house since they arrived, devised a means to escape.
Unfortunately, they were apprehended by local vigilantes on Monday, August 25, after being caught scaling the fence of the house where they were held.
An eyewitness stated that they could remember that the three boys came to the area about three weeks ago. They rarely saw them since they arrived until Monday around 3 p.m., when they were seen climbing the fence from their compound. Some residents who initially saw them thought they were thieves and decided to alert local security.
It was when they were arrested and interrogated that the resident discovered that they had been locked up in the house. Different marks were also seen on their bodies, which showed they were severely tortured. The local security later handed them over to the police.
After taking custody of the victims, a team of policemen stormed the apartment and arrested the four suspects.
According to a police source, the four suspects were arrested the following day after the boys were brought to the station. They also confessed to having been punishing the boys in a coordinated manner. One of them beats the boys daily while another person monitors and prevents them from escaping.
The only female among them is the wife of their leader. One black jacket, one jack knife, some phones, one black pot, and items suspected to be charms were recovered from them.”
Confirming their arrest, the police public relations officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, said that the victims were tortured and deprived of their freedom. The arrested suspects have been moved to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.
