Police Quiz Senator Adefuye’s Aide, Prince Adesida & Otunba Ajayi Over Alleged N22.5m Fraud

MICHAEL AKINOLA

Police detectives attached to the Force Criminal Investigation Department, FCID Alagbon Annex, have grilled Prince Babatunde Adesida, a Political Assistant to Senator Anthony Adefuye, over his alleged role in $38, 200 US Dollars fraud with its equivalent at N22.5 million.

According to Police sources, the arrest and detention of Prince Adesida and Otunba Gbenga Ajayi followed a petition to the Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG FCID Annex Alagbon Ikoyi, Lagos, jointly signed by a Lagos royal father, HRM, Oba Gbolahan Akanbi Timson, the Jagunmolu111 of Shomulu Bariga and one Alhaja Amina, a property CEO.

The petitioners alleged that Prince Adesida conspired with one Lekan Hamzat, a Nigerian based in USA, to defraud one Tony, who was introduced to the suspect and his sidechick in his palace of the said amount.

P.M.EXPRESS investigation revealed that Lekan Hamzat, who goes by a pseudo name, Larry H, with another person’s picture on his WhatsApp status and other social media accounts, actually lives in Brooklyn, New York and not New Jersey as claimed in all his contacts and correspondents with his acquaintances.

Further checks revealed that the said Lekan Hamzat (original name) was introduced to the Royal father by Prince Babatunde Adesida some years back and since then he became a regular caller to the Palace whenever he was in the country.

It was gathered that it was during one of the visits that the issue of changing $38, 200 US Dollars to Nigerian Naira was mentioned and he quickly said he was into such deal; stressing that whenever Alhaja Amina Oluyegun, who introduced Mr. Tony (owner of the money) was prepared and ready for the transaction, they should notify him so that he could give an account for the transfer of the hard currency and thereafter, send the Naira equivalent without delay.

Sources hinted further that when the Dollars were ready, Lekan Hamzat, alias ‘Larry H’, was contacted via a verified telephone number and he forwarded an account in which a Bank Draft of $38, 200 US Dollar was paid into and he acknowledge receipt.  He was said to have been pre-informed that the said money was genuine and clean maintaining that he (Lekan) assured that he had an Abuja based buyer, who wants to use the money to purchase cars and assured that there would not be any infraction whatsoever.

 However, the transaction took a twisted dimension after th owner of the money waited for two weeks in vain with no sign of the Naira equivalent in sight. Contacted, sources said Lekan admitted receipt of the money but added that the money was clearing in tranches. His response infuriated Alhaja Amina and the Royal Father, at whose palace the introduction was made and the deal sealed; questioning how could a Bank Draft or

cheque for instance, be clearing in tranches.

Shortly after, it was learnt that Lekan Hamzat no longer picked any call from either Alhaja Amina or the Royal Father; fueling speculation that he was ab-initio out to defraud. 

Quickly, Prince Babatunde Adesida was contacted and reports said he promised to wade into the matter because he was the one who introduced the said Lekan Hamzat to the Palace and by extension, Alhaja Amina  and of course, Tony, who owes the money.

Frantic efforts to get the reactions of the royal father on the

matter were not successful but a man, who identified himself as Prince Obanisola in the Palace, said the Royal father was compelled to do the petition to the Police in order to clear his good name.

He said, “The man, Lekan, was brought to the Palace some 4 or 5 years ago by Prince Adesida, who works with Senator Anthony Adefuye, a good friend of the Palace. Since then, whenever he is in the country, he comes to the Palace to visit our Oba and the relationship went on. It was during one of the visits that Alhaja Amina Oluyegun was discussing the issue of changing US Dollars to Naira with Kabiyesi and Lekan Hamzat quickly interjected that he was into the deal and that whenever they were ready he should be contacted”.

Continuing, Prince Obanisola added, “It was later that Kabiyesi was informed by Alhja Amina that the transaction had been done and the Naira equivalent was being awaited. But when the owner of the money kept waiting for the Naira equivalent and it was not forthcoming, Alhaja ran to Kabiyesi to complain and that was how Lekan was contacted and he started first with the narrative of the money ‘dropping in tranches’  because it was paid through a Bank Draft. When he realized that the people he was talking to had knowledge of monetary transactions, he changed the narrative that the account he actually presented belonged to one Yinka and that he said the money was not genuine”.

“In another breath, Lekan told Kabiyesi during one of the telephone conversations, when he eventually decided to speak, that he would pay the money but that he wants the account of the owner of the money, his identity card and stuff that don’t exit. Eventually, his request was met and the sum of N4, 990,000.00 out of the whole amount was paid in. Can you imagine such betrayal of trust? So Kabiyesi was forced to write the petition to the Police because even the man, who introduced Lekan to the Palace, Prince Babatunde Adesida, was not helping matters.

At the peak of the whole issue, he was called but he said he could not say nor do anything as of then because he was planning his daughter’s wedding. And after the wedding he was called again but he gave unsatisfactory response that he doesn’t want to dabble into such issue. This is even as Lekan Hamzat in a vexed tone admitted on telephone conversation with Kabiyesi that Prince Babatunde Adesida did send a bank account to him demanding part of the said money to be sent him to assist him with his daughter’s wedding and that he obliged him.”

He was said to have also boastfully said he is close to some senior Police officers when told that the matter would be reported to the Police; counter-threatening that whatever the owner of the money wants to do, he should go ahead. And true to his threat and boast, the moment Prince Babatunde Adesida was arrested; calls from top the Police echelon started flooding in to have him released immediately. A retired Commissioner, who is now a lawyer, Mr. Umar Suraj, was brought into the picture.

But at the FCID Alagbon, Mr. Umar Suraj did not show visible sign of bias. However, he too toed the line of his client demanding the ID card of the owner of the money before a refund would be effected and even after their demands were met, there was yet to be sign of refunding the money.   

“Sensing that justice might be subverted at the Police FCID, the owner of the money is planning to transfer the matter to EFCC and you know there is no way the matter will be transferred that Kabiyesi will not be invited for questioning and that would not be good; hence we are crying out for the public to know that Kabiyesi had nothing to do with the fraud” Prince Obanisola said.

Absolving himself of any wrong doing, Mr. Umar Suraj in telephone conversation said, “Well I am a retired Commissioner of Police and lawyer to the suspects. I have told them point blank to refund the money to whoever owns it; I don’t condone injustice. I did not collect a dime from them because the man in question, Lekan Hamzat, has been a known person for a long time. The ID card they brought I said it should be sent to him oversees for onward refund of the money. But if he fails, I have told the Police that they know what to do; get the INTERPOL and get him arrested and brought here for prosecution”.

Contacted on his telephone number 0806-030-1728, the Police Public Relations Officer of the FCID Annex Alagbon, Oluniyi Ogundeyi, said he was yet to be briefed assuring that he would check with the units and get back to us but was yet to do so as of the time of this report.

“I am not aware that he was arrested, you know they hardly tell us such thing and of course, you know there are several units; please call me around 12pm let me find out and give details” he said.