By: Bayero Ado
The Ogun State Police Command has arrested three individuals for hacking into the WhatsApp account of Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Bode Ojajuni, the head of the state’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID), and using it to defraud his family and friends of over N1.1 million.
According Vanguard, this was revealed by the state’s Commissioner of Police, Lanre Ogunlowo, during the parade of the suspects at the command’s headquarters in Eleweran, Abeokuta.
The arrested suspects have been identified as Tolani Jeremiah (31), Akande Suru (20), and Edwin Jatto (24). They were apprehended in Edo State, where they were hiding after allegedly hacking into DCP Ojajuni’s WhatsApp account. The suspects then used the account to send messages to his contacts, requesting urgent financial assistance.
The Commissioner of Police confirmed, “The suspects gained access to the WhatsApp account tied to the phone number 08034062773 of DCP Bode Ojajuni of the State CID. They deceived his contacts into transferring money to a Moniepoint account, 6862703892, under the name Ichioma Ojo. They defrauded the victims of a total of N1,115,000.”
During the investigation, six mobile phones and several devices used for the hacking operation were recovered. Authorities discovered that the suspects bypassed WhatsApp’s security system using a Gmail account ([email protected]).
“The suspects have confessed to being part of an internet fraud syndicate targeting unsuspecting citizens,” Ogunlowo added.
In a separate operation, the police also paraded members of a child trafficking ring. Among those arrested were ThankGod Taiwo (35), Patience Chikieze (54), and Oluyinka Folake (43), who are linked to the abduction and illegal sale of children for adoption.
Taiwo was arrested after abducting a seven-year-old girl, Mercy Akande, and selling her to Chikieze for N650,000. Chikieze, arrested on December 29 in Lafenwa-Itele, led police to her home where Mercy was rescued unharmed.
Further investigations revealed that Chikieze had previously bought a three-year-old boy, Mohees Daniel, for N250,000 and resold him for N3 million. She also attempted to sell another child, David Jesulayomi, whom she had purchased from Oluyinka for N1.5 million. Both children were safely recovered, along with fake adoption documents.
“She used a WhatsApp group, Prema Consult, to deceive potential adopters into believing they were engaging in legal child adoption,” explained Ogunlowo.
Ogunlowo, who recently took office, warned criminals in Ogun State to desist from their unlawful activities or face severe legal consequences. He also urged the public to provide the police with useful information to help combat crime.
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