The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested an Instagram comedian and social media Influencer, Nwagbo Oliver Chidera, popularly known as Pankeeroy, alongside 34 others over internet fraud.
The commission disclosed in a statement that the operative of Lagos Zonal Office of EFCC arrested them on Wednesday, April 21, 2021 at their hideout in James Court, Lekki, Lagos, following verified intelligence received by the Commission about their criminal activities.
The EFCC released the names of those arrested as Chinedu Christian, Gafar Adedamola, Chuka Richard, Dibo Samson, Rotimi Damilola, Habeeb Damilola, Afolabi Michael, Adekanbi Adeola, Emeka Egwuatu, Adeyemi Olumide, Awokoya Iyaniwura, Efunnuga Samuel, Samson Egwuatu, Gbemileke Simeon, Omoyemi Owolabi, Farouk Olatunde.
Others are Orapitan Segun, Oladunjoye Olawale, Ibrahim Olanrewaju, Wasiu Sola, Olamiposi Damilola, Isiaq Olamilekan, Abel Junior, Emmanuel Martins, Timilehin Jesse, Kelvin Kendal, Omotola Emmanuel, Rasaq Farouq, Oyelere Shakiru, Timileyin Damilare, Kelly Nwanou, Adedeji Olayinka, Balogun Ibrahim and Makinde Benjamin.
According to EFCC, Chidera, who claimed to have gone into Bitcoin scam after he suffered depression, had been presenting himself as a vendor who redeems bitcoin vouchers using the bitcoincoretrading.com platform to defraud his unsuspecting victims.
The statement also revealed that one of the suspects, Christian, who confessed to have been posing as one Dave Federick, a 58- year- old United States national on a mission in Syria, in order to lure his unsuspecting victims, defrauded an aged Asian-American lady of over $475, 000.
Upon his arrest, a Mercedes Benz AMG GLE model worth N36,000,000( Thirty-six Million Naira) was recovered from Christian alongside N22.3 million worth of Bitcoin found in his block chain account.
The statement added that items recovered from the men at the time of their arrest included exotic cars, iPhones, laptop computers, Android devices and Macbook devices. It concluded that the suspects will soon be charged to court
