How Hotel Owners Harbour Yahoo Boys For High Patronage

MICHAEL AKINOLA

The arrest of two suspected members of cyber crime syndicate, popularly known as Yahoo boys, Godswill Ukwuwo, 22 and Sunday Kelvin, 22,  has given an insight how hotel owners secretly harbours criminals because of high patronage in Lagos State.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that the suspects, Ukwuwo and Kelvin including others at large, had lodged in a popular hotel known as SeaFortune Royal Suites at Ago, Okota area of Lagos and incurred debt of about N1.2m and were unable to pay the money due to inability to get some money from their targets.

Having lodged in the hotel between June and August 2021 and were unable to pay, the management reported them to the Police at Ago, Okota Division, for obtaining the credit to the said amount under false pretence.

They were arrested and detained at the Police Station for interrogation and they reportedly revealed that they had been lodging in the hotel in the past and spent huge sums of money when their business of obtaining from targets was going on successfully.

However, things changed and even got worse after their targets failed to pay up and they were unable to raise any money to offset the already incurred debts.

After interrogation, the Police found them culpable and subsequently charged them before the Ejigbo Magistrates Court for conspiracy, obtaining under false pretence and stealing.

They pleaded not guilty.

 The prosecutor, Inspector Simeon Njue, asked the Court to give a date for hearing to enable the Police to prove they actually committed the alleged offence.

The Presiding Magistrate, A.S. Okubule, granted them bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum.

They were remanded in Correctional Centre at Kirikiri town, Lagos, pending when they will perfect their bail conditions.

The matter was adjourned till 27th October, 2021, for mention.

P.M.EXPRESS investigation revealed that it was not only the SeaFurtune Royal Suites and Hotels that harbour those criminal elements; many hotels in Lagos State equally engage in such practice which the Police intelligence from Kam Saleem House at Obalande, Lagos, have started monitoring the activities of the hotel owners.