According to Punch, Adamu who lived in Iyana Ipaja area of the state had gone to one Abdulkareem Goje at the market to buy $2,500 on Thursday, August 8, 2019. 

After agreeing to buy $2,500 for N897,000 reportedly collected Goje’s number and sent it to his accomplice, who is still at large, Punch reports. 

Some minutes after, Goje received a credit alert of N897,000 on his mobile as payment for the $2,500.

Punch reports that while Goje was arranging the money, Adamu hurried him up and Goje became suspicious. 

He therefore asked Adamu to let him verify the payment at a nearest bank, but Adamu was not ready for that. 

One of the market traders, Godwin Chukwu, who witnessed the incident and spoke to Punch about the incident said Adamu attempted to run when he realised his game was up. 

“A man, who later identified himself as Ismaila Adamu, came to buy dollars that day from a bureau-de-change operator called Goje, close to my shop. He sent N897,000 into the Goje’s account through somebody and he was in a hurry to collect the dollars and leave. Goje noticed his countenance and became suspicious. He asked Adamu to allow him to check his account balance at a nearest bank before he could release the dollar.

“Adamu was not comfortable with the request and tried to assure Goje that the money was in his account, but he insisted on checking his account balance. At that point, Adamu wanted to run away, but people held him back. Goje quickly went to the bank and discovered that his account was not credited. Adamu started begging. He said it was his boss at Ikeja who sent him to carry out the fraud. We alerted the police at the Ojo division and handed him over to them,” Chukwu said. 

While confirming Adamu’s arrest, Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Bala Elkana said the suspect has confessed to have defrauded some people in connivance with his boss, one Sani, who operates at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Ikeja, Punch reports.

Elkana said, “The suspect went to buy $2,500 and claimed that he could not transfer the N897,000 equivalent at once. He made a phone call to his boss to transfer the money to the complainant’s account.

“Subsequently, the complainant received an alert of N897,000 and the suspect started pressuring him to release the dollar equivalent. But the complainant insisted on making a confirmation from his bank. The bank confirmed that it was a fake alert and that no money was transferred into the account. The suspect was arrested immediately.”

The Police PRO said Adamu has been charged with fraud, adding that the police have gone after his accomplice.