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Serial Rent Scammer: N16.9m rent scam: Number of victims defrauded by estate agent rises to 64

Posted by Paul "EFCC" Hawk Adams on March 3, 2011 at 6:34am

 

This should be in the  Guiness Book of Records  

The number of ‘tenants’ allegedly defrauded by an estate agent in Lagos, has risen to 64, even as policemen at the Special Fraud Unit (SFU), Milverton Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, are still collating names of victims. The Police have also confirmed that Omotayo Balogun, who other victims claimed was not one of them, was actually defrauded by the estate agent, Olatunde Najeem.

 
According to the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the SFU, Ngozi Isintume, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Balogun paid the sum of N500,000, to Najeem for a mini flat.
She explained that after the payment, Najeem failed to give the flat to him. According to her, it was based on that, that he (Balogun) wrote a petition to the SFU on December 2, 2010, which led to the arrest of the suspect.
She disclosed that it was when other victims heard that Najeem had been arrested that they came to report that they were also defrauded by the suspect.
The PRO, however, wondered why some of the victims resorted to being hostile to the policemen, who according to her, were working to ensure that they get justice..
“It is not true that Balogun was not defrauded by the same estate agent. It’s not possible for all the victims to know themselves. The police are in a better position to know the victims because, they come to complain to us and not to their fellow victims.
“Omotayo was the first person who wrote a petition to the police. Those who are alleging that Balogun was not one of the victims, did not even report the matter to the police. It was when they heard that he had written a petition to the SFU, leading to the arrest of the suspect, that they started showing up,” she said.
Meanwhile, Isintume has advised people to always carry out thorough investigation before paying for accommodation. She also urged other victims in the rent scam to visit SFU for further information.
Daily Sun had in its Thursday, February, 17, 2011, edition published report of the estate agent, who defrauded 51 ‘tenants’ the sum of N16.9million.
 

 
 

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64 killed in Uganda During World Cup final

Posted by 9jabook.com on July 11, 2010 at 10:44pm

64 killed as bombers target World Cup viewers

Al-Qaida-linked group eyed after blasts; U.S. aid worker among the victims



KAMPALA, Uganda — Simultaneous explosions tore through crowds watching the World Cup final at a rugby club and a restaurant in Uganda's capital, killing at least 64 people including one American, officials said. Police feared an al-Qaida-linked Somali militant group was behind the attacks.

The blasts went off as people watched the game between Spain and the Netherlands late Sunday. The attack on the rugby club, where crowds sat outside watching a large-screen TV, left 49 dead, police said. Fifteen others were killed in the restaurant explosion.

"We were watching soccer here and then when there were three minutes to the end of the match an explosion came ... and it was so loud," witness Juma Seiko told Reuters.

Several Americans from a Pennsylvania church group were wounded in the restaurant attack including Kris Sledge, 18, of Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania.

"I remember blacking out, hearing people screaming and running," Sledge said from the hospital. His right leg was wrapped and he had burns on his face. "I love the place here but I'm wondering why this happened and who did this ... At this point we're just glad to be alive."

Joann Lockard, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy in Kampala, confirmed one American was killed.

San Diego-based group Invisible Children, which helps child soldiers, identified the dead American as aid worker Nate Henn.
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Kampala's police chief said he believed Somalia's most feared militant group, al-Shabab, could be responsible for the attack. Al-Shabab is known to have links with al-Qaida, and it counts militant veterans from the Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan conflicts among its ranks. Simultaneous attacks are also one of al-Qaida's hallmarks.

If those suspicions prove true, it would be the first time that al-Shabab has carried out attacks outside of Somalia.

The explosions came just two days after an al-Shabab commander, Sheik Muktar Robow, called for militants to attack sites in Uganda and Burundi — two nations that contribute troops to the African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia.

Police Chief Kale Kaihura said he suspected al-Shabab had carried out the attack. The group's fighters, including two recruited from the Somali communities in the United States, have carried out multiple suicide bombings in Somalia.

'Whatever makes them cry, makes us happy'
In Mogadishu, Somalia, Sheik Yusuf Sheik Issa, an al-Shabab commander, told The Associated Press early Monday that he was happy with the attacks in Uganda. Issa refused to confirm or deny that al-Shabab was responsible for the bombings.

"Uganda is one of our enemies. Whatever makes them cry, makes us happy. May Allah's anger be upon those who are against us," Sheik said.

In addition to Uganda's troops in Mogadishu, Uganda also hosts Somali soldiers trained in U.S. and European-backed programs.

White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said the U.S. was prepared to provide any necessary assistance to the Ugandan government.
President Barack Obama was "deeply saddened by the loss of life resulting from these deplorable and cowardly attacks," Vietor said.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton joined Obama in offering condolences and added, "The United States stands with Uganda. We have a long-standing, close friendship with the people and government of Uganda and will work with them to bring the perpetrators of this crime to justice."

Kenya's foreign minister, Moses M. Wetangula, told The Associated Press last week that enough veteran militants from the Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan conflicts have relocated to Somalia to spark worry inside the international community..

International militants have flocked to Somalia because the country's government controls only a few square miles of the capital, Mogadishu, leaving most of the rest of the country as lawless territory where insurgents can train and plan attacks unimpeded.
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