Nigerian nabbed for fraud

Luck ran out on a young Ghanaian-Nigerian man after his attempt to dupe an unsuspecting member of the public thousands of dollars, was foiled by the SWAT team of the Ghana Police Service, leading to his arrest.

Richard Adegbola, was apprehended last Friday by the Police with assistance from the victim’s nephew, Anthony K. Arthur, a businessman.

The culprit is now with the Ministry’s Police Station, helping with the investigation as it is suspected that he is part of a syndicate operating in the Accra Metropolis, duping people with a claim of supplying them valves at a low cost, which would later be sold at thousands of United States dollars.

Narrating the incident to “The Herald”, Mr. Anthony Arthur, who said he started suspecting the entire episode moments after he received a telephone call from his uncle, Mr. Brown Dadzie, informing him about the whole deal.

His uncle had initially had a call from one Francis Ayerh, who claimed to know his uncle from his days at Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) as he Ayerh also worked there at the time.

He said, Francis on the phone told Mr. Dadzie that he now works in the oil city of Takoradi, but since he (Mr. Dadzie) used to deal in the supply of goods, he wanted to engage him in a business of buying and selling High Pressure Valves used by players in the oil industry.

Francis convinced Mr. Dadzie that, valves were in high demand in the industry as they have become very scarce at their base in Takoradi.

Not suspecting any criminal motive, Mr. Dadzie agreed to the said deal and Francis assured him that he had a dealer in Koforidua, named Nana

Agyeman, who could sell a box of the gadget to Mr. Dadzie at a cheaper price of $11.500 so that he will in turn resell it to his white man colleague named, Mr. Catwell at a price of US$20,000 per box.

According to Mr. Arthur, his uncle not having enough funds contacted him, but after narrating what had transpired between his uncle and Francis, he became very suspicious and so asked that his uncle hands over the whole transaction to him including Nana Agyeman’s contact.

He said after some phone interactions, Nana Agyeman assured Mr. Dadzie that he had the valves but would send his son called Richard to bring him valves and collect an amount of GH¢11,500.

Mr. Dadzie, last Friday informed Nana Agyeman that he could not meet him, but will send his nephew with the money for the valves. They had earlier refused to collect a cheque, insisting on “cash and carry”.

Nana Agyeman’s so-called son, Richard, not long after, called to say he had arrived from Koforidua and mentioned the Pantang Hospital area near Adenta, where the valves could be collected.

Before setting off, Mr. Arthur said he managed to inform some National Security operatives who gave him police officers to accompany him to meet Richard, and arrest him. Prior to meeting Richard, he had twice changed the venue of the meeting.

Richard came in a Kia Caravan taxicab with registration number GS55-12, driven by Kwabena Tanko.

While the security officers lurked around watching as event unfolded, Mr. Arthur said, he approached Richard with a brown envelope which contained a computer hard disc, pretending it was the cash.

Immediately, he requested for the receipt which looked faked, the officers from nowhere emerged. Suspecting danger, Richard according to Mr. Arthur, tried to escape by scaling several walls, but was given a hot chase till he was apprehended together with the taxi driver, who had no clue what was going on.

A man believed to be Nana Agyeman, who was supposed to be in Koforidua in the Eastern Region, later escaped with another taxicab, packed near where Richard was arrested.

Richard, who had a thick Nigerian accent, later confessed the valves were not for the oil industry, but mere gadget fixed on bicycles, to give extra comfort to riders. He claimed his mother was a Ghanaian from the Volta Region, whilst his father hailed from Ibadan in Nigeria.

He claimed he had only met Nana Agyeman at La Paz in Accra inside a drinking spot and was asked to deliver the goods to Mr. Arthur.

The taxi driver was later bailed by the Ministries Police.

An officer of the Department of Feeder Roads also narrated his ordeal with the fraudsters to The Herald. He revealed how US$500 was collected from him under a similar circumstance, but he managed to retrieve the money, weeks after he spotted the fraudster and pulled a gun on him.