RRS Busts Fake Real Estate Agents in Lagos
Members of a five-man gang, who allegedly posed as real estate agents, have been arrested by the operatives of the Rapid Respond Squad of the Lagos State Police Command.
It was gathered that the suspects, Abolade Oladimeji, 43; Ademola Ayo, 45; Emmanuel Fabiyi, 65; Ademola Hakeem, 49; and 52-year-old Sunday Ayodele were arrested in the Lekki Phase II area of the state when they wanted to lease out a duplex to an accommodation seeker, one Mr Obi, for the sum of N4.5m.
Newsmen learnt that the suspects, who pretended to be the agents in charge of the property, had advertised the said property on an online platform, Jiji.com, putting the total lease package at N4.5m per annum.
The accommodation seeker, who suspected foul play, carried out a research on the property and found the real owner and they both played along with the fraudsters until they were arrested by policemen.
The gang leader, Hakeem, told the police that because he was a computer literate, he was able to post for sale and lease several non-existent landed property, apartments and buildings, adding that the gang lure unsuspecting members of the public with attractive prices.
In his confessional statement to the police, Hakeem stated that in early September, he posted the said property, which attracted many people, among whom was the accommodation seeker.
He said, “Immediately he called me through the contact number on the advertisement, I knew he was genuine. I mobilised my colleagues and allocated roles to each of them to make the deal seamless. Abolade Oladimeji conducted himself as the estate lawyer. He discussed at length with our client on the legal angle as well as the visitation to the property before payment.
“Ademola Ayo was in charge of taking clients for house or land inspection. Emmanuel Fabiyi, the eldest among us, played the role of a principal agent and sometimes acted as the site engineer, while Sunday Ayodele assisted Fabiyi to make him look like a big man, who is well-groomed and seasoned in the business.
“After the inspection, Mr. Obi requested to pay with a cheque. Initially, we rejected it as our mode of payment was through bank transfer. This was to avoid too much contact as we have dedicated account owners, who connive with the various teams of fraud syndicates to receive deposits into their accounts and collect 30 per cent of the proceeds. After much deliberation on the mode of payment, we agreed to collect the cheque.”
Fabiyi noted that his age was a helping factor in scamming unsuspecting members of the public.
He said, “My age has been so instrumental to the various scams we have perpetrated. Unsuspecting victims get convinced that a man of my age wouldn’t be a scammer. This makes them want to do business with us and part with their hard-earned money to purchase land, rent or lease of property.
“I am a shame to my family as an elder in the church and a grandpa. My children warned me to desist from fraud after I was arrested last year, but I didn’t listen to them.”
Speaking on how they would have shared the money if the deal had been successful, Fabiyi said, “The account owner collects 30 per cent; Hakeem, who brings the deal, collects 30 per cent; Abolade, 10 per cent; Ayo, 10 per cent; while I share five per cent out of my 20 per cent with Sunday Ayodele.”
The state Commissioner of Police, Zubairu Muazu, in his reaction to the incident, advised Lagos residents to be extra careful when dealing with property agents and always insist on seeing the owner of the property.
He urged them to always verify the identities of the agents before parting with their hard-earned money.
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