Awoleye Joshua Oluwatofunmi has been detained by the Kwara State Command of the Nigerian Police Force for allegedly luring an American woman to Nigeria and defrauding thousands of dollars from her.
It was discovered that the suspect, a 23-year-old resident of Sabo-Oke Road in Ilorin, Kwara State, was apprehended beside an American woman named Vonapolouis Moss inside the premises of a hotel on Flower Garden Road.
After allegedly being duped by a 23-year-old suspected internet fraudster, the woman, known as Vonapolouis Moss, an American citizen, was rescued by the Kwara State Command of the Nigerian police in Ilorin, the state capital.
Vonapolouis Moss of 2962, W 64th Court, Merrillville, Indiana 46410, USA, was allegedly lured into the country on January 9, 2023, by the suspect, who is alleged to be an internet fraudster and defrauded her out of thousands of dollars, according to state commissioner of police Paul Odama, who confirmed the incident on Friday.
“On January 12, 2023, at about 1200 hours, based on actionable intelligence, operatives of the SCID at the Kwara State Police command arrested one Awoleye Joshua Oluwatofunmi, “male” of Sabo-Oke Road, Ilorin, within the premises of an hotel along Flower Garden Road, Ilorin, in company with one Vonapolouis Moss, “female” an American citizen.
“A preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect, who is an internet fraudster known as Yahoo Boy, presented himself to the victim on TikTok, a social media platform, as an American by the name of Howard Adams and ripped her off for about 1,000 USD.
“The suspect later took a step further by luring the victim to fly into Nigeria on January 9, 2023, through the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos, after which she flew into Ilorin the next day and was received by the suspect.”
Prior to being saved by police officers, the suspect deceitfully stole an additional sum of USD from the victim.
“The necessary authorities have been contacted for appropriate action. Meanwhile, the rescued victim has been moved into secure custody by the State Police command pending her return trip to the USA.”
The Commissioner of Police then reassures the public on the command’s commitment in dispensing its duties with full sense of responsibility, adding that it would be willing at all times to respect the rights of every citizen.
