MICHAEL AKINOLA
A 19-year old man, Victor Dickson, has been arrested and charged in Lagos State for allegedly luring and robbing women of their valuables with force of arms through social media romance scam.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that the suspect, Dickson, has been charged before the Ogba Magistrate Court and facing multiple charges, including conspiracy, armed robbery, and unlawful deprivation of liberty.
He was accused of orchestrating a series of robberies in Mende, Maryland, Lagos, between September 3–4, 2025, targeting women he met on social media platforms (Facebook, Bigo, Tinder).
The charges include: Conspiracy to commit armed robbery under Section 299, Lagos State Criminal Law 2015
The second charge is robbery of N2.059 million, an iPhone 16 Pro Max valued N1.5m, an iPhone 13 Pro Max worth N600,000 and Samsung phone worth N150,000 belonging to the victims- Alice Sunday, Ajisafe Opeyemi, Rosemary Udoka, and Ekharo Blessing respectively.
While the third charge is unlawful detention of Udoka and Blessing by chaining and restraining them under Section 272, Lagos State Criminal Law 2015 which attracts several years of imprisonment.
According to the Police, the suspect suspect, Dickson, allegedly lured the victims to a service apartment in Alegbe Close, Mende area of Lagos under the pretense of romantic encounters.
The matter was reported to the Commissioner of Police and was investigated by SP Banti Adamu of the Command’s Tactical Team, Lagos State. The Police found him culpable and charged him before the Court.
However, the Court did not take his plea following a motion moved by the prosecutor, Supol Philip Ademigbuji, asking the Court to give a date and refer the matter to the DPP for legal advice.
The Presiding Magistrate, Mrs. O. Kusanu, ordered his remand in custody at the correctional center at Kirikiri town, Lagos, pending the outcome of the DPP’s advice and directed the prosecutor to duplicate the file and send it to the DPP.
The matter was adjourned for mention for the report of the DPP’s advice to be available, which will determine if the matter will be transferred to the High Court or not over jurisdiction.