Interpol Arrests 2 UNILAG Graduates For Defrauding German In €14.7m COVID-19 Scam

Operatives of INTERPOL Nigeria have arrested two graduates of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) for allegedly defrauding a German in a €14.7 million Covid-19-related scam.

The suspects – Babatunde Adesanya (a.k.a Teddy) and Akinpelu Hassan Abass – allegedly committed the offence in a fraudulent procurement deal of COVID-19 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

The police said 50-year-old Adesanya and Abass, 41, were members of a sophisticated transnational criminal network who cloned the corporate website of ILBN Holdings BV, Holland, to defraud the German, Freiherr Fredrick Von Hahn.

Adesanya, in a video shared by the police, said he graduated from UNILAG and holds a Masters degree in Cell Biology, while Abass, a foreign exchange broker and graduate of UNILAG, is the Managing Director of Musterpoint Investment Nig. Ltd

According to a statement by Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Frank Mba, “The arrest of the suspects was sequel to a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) received by the Bureau from the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.

“The MLAT conveyed a request from the German Government for investigations into a fraudulent transaction on the procurement of COVID-19 Personal Protective Equipment linked to a Nigerian-based Bank Account.

Mba said, “Discrete investigations by INTERPOL Nigeria revealed that the suspects and their Holland-based cohorts, one Eduardus Boomstra and Geradius Maulder specialized in identity theft, cyber-stalking, cloning of corporate websites amongst other cyber mischiefs to defraud unsuspecting members of the public across the world.

“In this instance, the suspects fraudulently obtained from Mr Freiherr Fredrick Von Hahn the sum of 1.5m Euro and another 880,000 Euro as advanced payment for the supply of COVID-19 PPEs valued at 14.7million Euros.

“Disturbed by the non-arrival of the PPEs, Mr Freiherr Fredrick Von Hahn eventually visited the corporate office of ILBN Holdings BV in Holland to inquire reasons for the delay in supplying the items only to find out that the company never did business with him and that the transaction was a scam.”

The Police said, “The fraudsters merely cloned the company’s website and falsely presented themselves as representatives of the company before subsequently executing the fraudulent transaction.

“Consequently, he reported the case of fraud to the Police in Holland and this led to the arrest of Eduardus Boomstra and Geradius Maulder in Holland and investigations extended to Nigeria.

“Investigation by INTERPOL Nigeria further revealed that Babatunde Adesanya received 498,000 Euro from Eduardus Boomstra and Geradius Maulder through his Citibank London account and transferred same to an account number domiciled with a Lagos branch of a leading commercial bank in Nigeria belonging to Musterpoint Investment Nig. Ltd,” said the police.

The Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, commended the Commissioner of Police, INTERPOL, CP Garba Baba Umar and operatives of INTERPOL Nigeria, Cybercrime Unit, for the arrest of the suspects.

The police said the suspects would soon be arraigned in court.