"Yahoo Guys" Busted while Fighting For A $7000 Deal

The police in Lagos on Thursday paraded an aggrieved fraudster, Henry Ezechie with six others who allegedly specialise in internet fraud.

The suspects were all arrested on Saturday at Ajah, after Ezechie who felt cornered in a $7,090 deal he had with Kenneth Eric alias Biggie, petitioned the police alleging that the others were kidnappers and fraudsters.

The Nation gathered that ,detectives from the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence (SCIID) Panti-Yaba stormed Eric’s Ajah residence and arrested Stephen Onwunama, Jacob Chukwuka and two others.

However, Onwunama and Chukwuka have both denied being criminals insisting that they were just Biggie’s friends and usually visited his home.

Ezechie who admitted reporting to the police said he was angry that Biggie refused to give him his 80 percent share of the loot.

“Biggie is the one owing me. We had a $7,090 deal and he refused to give me my 80 percent share of the money and so, I took the payment slip to the police to report. We do yahoo business (Internet fraud). It was my deal. He is the picker and so, his share is 20 percent.

“Picker is the person who receives the money and sends to Nigeria. He has contacts in America who pick the money and send through money transfer. I have been doing this business for some years now to survive, but this was my major breakthrough and he refused to give me my money.  It is dating that we do. We use Match, Facebook and other sites,” he said.

But Eric, who admitted he was into Internet fraud, denied being a kidnapper. He also denied defrauding Ezechie, claiming that the deal did not click.

“Henry alleged me. He gave me a transaction of N300,000 which did not click and he went to the police to claim that I was a kidnapper and a fraudster. He left what we were doing and started talking rubbish. Whoever gave him that receipt he took to the police was just deceiving him. I do Facebook loto. We tell victims that if they pay $800 they will win $100,000. Most of our victims are white people because they are greedy,” he said.

Onwunama who denied being a fraudster said he only came to visit his friend and he was arrested.

He claimed that he was a government worker in Delta State,  adding that he laid somewhere in the room when the police came and searched everywhere.

“They found nothing on me. They searched my phones and laptop and they didn’t see anything that has to do with fraud in it. I was just visiting my friend and I have spent two weeks in his place.  I was to go back to Asaba on Sunday before I was arrested onSaturday. I don’t know how it is an offence to be a friend to a fraudster,” he claimed.

Chukwuka also denied being a fraudster,  insisting that he only went to Kenneth’s place after he heard the police were there.

“I was at my house when I heard that the police were at Kenneth’s place to arrest him that he was a kidnapper and a fraudster.  So, I went there with my younger brother to explain that I know him. That he was not a kidnapper. That’s how I was also arrested. I did not do anything wrong. I have never been a criminal in my life,” he said.

Parading the suspects, Police Commissioner, Fatai Owoseni said they will be charged to court at the completion of investigation.