EFCC to arraign Naira Marley for Yahoo Yahoo on Monday

• He borrowed laptop EFCC found on him, management says
• Kwara Lawmaker-elect nabbed over N26m property fraud
• Says he intends to refund money when he receives his wardrobe allowance
• 419 boys arrested after unleashing dog against EFCC

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will on Monday arraign a musician, Azeez Fashola, a.k.a. Naira Marley at the Federal High Court in Lagos for alleged online fraud, popularly known as Yahoo Yahoo.

The EFCC filed an 11-count charge of alleged credit card fraud against Fashola on May 14 in a suit marked FHC/L/178C/19. Some of the credit cards, according to the EFCC, bore the names Nicole Louise Malyon and Timea Fedorne Tatar.
The agency said the alleged crimes contravened the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act and the Cyber Crimes Act.

The artiste has been under fire recently following his open support for online fraud. He was arrested last Friday along with four others, including his friend and fellow artiste, Zlatan Ibile.

The charges read in part: “That you, Azeez Adeshina Fashola, aka Naira Marley, and Raze (still at large), on or about December 11, 2018, conspired amongst yourselves to use Access card 42658840359191132 issued to persons other than you in a bid to obtain gain and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 27(1)(b) of the Cyber Crimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act 2015 and punishable under Section 33(2) of the Same Act.

“That you, Azeez Adeshina Fashola, aka Naira Marley, and Raze (still at large), on or about May 10, 2019, with intent to defraud possessed, counterfeit card 4921819410257431 issued to Timea Fedorne Tatar and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 33(9) of Cyber Crimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act 2015.”

But Naira Marley, according to his management, is not the owner of the laptop found with him by operatives of the EFCC. The singer was arrested in the early hours of May 10. In the statement, it was claimed that the singer borrowed the laptop to enable him upload music, record videos and work while he is in Nigeria.

Meanwhile, the EFCC, Ilorin Zonal Office has arrested a member-elect of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Abdulgafar Ayinla, over his alleged involvement in property scam, forgery and obtaining money under false pretence to the tune of about N26 million.

Ayinla who is expected to be sworn-in on May 29, has confessed to the commission of crime, disclosing that he used the money to finance his political campaigns. The petitioner who resides in the United State of America, stated that Ayinla who is a legal practitioner was introduced to her by her late aunt as capable of helping her purchase some property in Ilorin, Kwara State capital.

According to her, “the lawmaker-elect sold to me another two plots of land with four bedroom bungalow at window level at Agric area of Ilorin. I paid N8.2 million and N40,000 commission of which Ayinla informed me that the seller had received his money but he never paid the money to the seller up till today, and never refunded the money to me.”

The suspect disclosed that he diverted the money to his personal use and promised to pay back when he receives his wardrobe allowance from the Kwara State House of Assembly. He would soon be charged to court.

Also, the EFCC, Ibadan zonal office, on Wednesday arrested suspected internet criminals. The ‘Yahoo boys’ had unleashed a dog on them to resist arrest. The commission said upon receipt of intelligence reports, officers of the commission had stormed the suspects’ hideout at Agara area of Ibadan at the early hours of the day.

Instead of allowing them in after proper introduction, one of the suspects instructed the guard to release the dog to attack the men.
EFCC said the trick failed to work as they were able to dislodge the dangerous dog, carry out extensive search on the apartment and effect arrest of the suspects.

The second-in-command to the zonal head, Bright Igeleke, who led the operation, said the experience was part of the ‘hazards of the job’. He added that out of desperation to conceal useful information that could help the EFCC in their investigation, one of the suspects smashed his android phone with the intention to destroy the gadget and deny access to the data therein.

“The attempt equally failed as the operatives took possession of the broken phone. It is now with the forensic unit for proper analysis of the recovered data”, he said.

Suspects arrested in the operation are Paul Afolabi, Balogun Ibrahim Adebayo, Izu Ibobo Chukwunalu, Abe Tolulope, Onifade Gidion Idowu, Komolafe Tosin and Igwe Kinsley Otuu.