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The Ogun State Command of the Nigeria Correctional Service says it will investigate an allegation by a Lagos-based businesswoman, Grace Ogunrinde, that an inmate, Ismalia Amaduli, allegedly defrauded her to the tune of N700,000.
The command’s spokesperson, Olayinka Odukoya, disclosed this to the Punch.
The businesswoman had told PUNCH Metro on Tuesday that she became friends with Amaduli on Facebook sometime in 2022 after a series of messages from him.
She stressed that following her reply to his message, they started a friendship and were in constant communication without her knowing he was an inmate at the Ibara Correctional Centre.
Ogunrinde stated that her ordeal started when Amaduli told her that he was robbed on his way to a business trip to purchase cows for his boss and that his boss had got him arrested.
After some days, Ogunrinde said she was contacted by one Mohammed Abubakar, who claimed to be the solicitor to Amaduli, and informed her that he had been charged to court and a certain amount would be needed to secure his bail.
Ogunrinde narrated further that after several appeals, she sent N100,000 to the lawyer, who promised that he would help her get the money back from Amaduli following his release.
She said that after the money had been paid, the lawyer reached out to her again with another excuse as to why Amaduli had yet to be released and that another amount of money was needed to secure his release.
“At this point, I became curious and was willing to find out what was going on. I requested to see Amaduli, whom I hadn’t seen since we started our friendship. I was told he was remanded at Ibara Correctional Centre in Abeokuta.
“I visited the correctional centre where I met him for the first time, and when I saw the situation he was in, I sent another N150,000 to the lawyer so that he could secure his release.
She added that following the lawyer’s promise to help her retrieve her money after Amaduli’s release, she sent N300,000 to the lawyer, who later informed her that Amaduli had been released and was on his way to the bank to withdraw money meant for her refund.
Ogunrinde noted that she, however, did not get any refund but was instead informed that officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had arrested Amaduli over a transaction issue on his account.
“After several back and forth, I sent some money to the lawyer and since then, I have not been able to get my money back. This prompted me to write a petition to the Ogun State Commissioner of Police as my last resort.
“Most of the money I sent was loaned to me by people who are now requesting their money. This incident has left me devastated,” Ogunrinde concluded.
When contacted , Abubakar disclosed in a WhatsApp conversation that he collected some money from Ogunrinde but it was meant to secure the release of his client, Amaduli, who claimed that Ogunrinde was his wife.
He said, “Ismail is my client, and when he was taken to the correctional centre, he introduced the said lady to me as his wife. So, how would I have known much about the lady? The money was paid for me to secure his bail.”
In his reaction, Odukoya said an investigation would be carried out to unravel the matter.
“I am just getting to know about this incident from you. I can’t give any reaction to it at the moment because I don’t know about anything of such. However, I will investigate the matter and get back to you,” Odukoya said.