GIFT ROBERTS
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested a lady identified as Mrs Mary Olaleye in Kaduna State.
Olaleye, who is the promoter of Victoria Travels Resorts Limited, was arrested for allegedly obtaining N4,240,000 from two prospective travellers by false pretences.
According to a statement by the Head, Media and Publicity of the anti-graft agency, Wilson Uwujaren, the suspect Olaleye obtained the sum from one Tochukwu Asika and Daniel Alabi on the pretext of procuring Canadian visas and making other travel arrangements for them.
The statement read in part, “The complainants alleged that sometime in 2018, they contacted the suspect to arrange a trip to the Turks and Caicos islands for them, for which they paid him the sum of N1m each.
“Two days to their departure, the suspect allegedly informed them that the trip had been put on hold and offered them an alternative of visas to Canada, which they accepted and paid a cumulative sum of N4,240,000 for the visas, consultancy fee and air tickets.
“The complainants further stated that after a long hiatus, the suspect called and Canadian visa and Yellow Fever cards were issued to them, and informed them that they would be travelling through Kenya. However, upon arrival in Kenya, they were arrested and detained by Immigration officials for possession of fake Yellow Fever cards.
“Upon their release from detention after being issued with new Yellow Fever cards, the duo made spirited efforts to contact the suspect to get her Kenyan representative to assist them with the connecting flight to Canada, but could not reach her as she had switched off her mobile lines. The complainants were later re-arrested by Kenyan Immigration and deported to Nigeria.”
The anti-grafts agency’s spokesman added that the victims lodged a complaint to the EFCC as all efforts to retrieve their money proved abortive, adding that the suspect shunned several invitations by the Kaduna office of the commission until a mortgage was placed on her account.
Olaleye was arrested at her bank in Abuja and brought back to Kaduna for further investigation
Uwujaren said the suspect will be charged to court after investigation of the case is concluded.