Ondo State Police Command recently arrested a 33-year-old suspect, Joshua, over a case of alleged fraud, rape and human trafficking.
The suspect was accused of luring students of tertiary institutions through a WhatsApp group, under the guise of providing them opportunities to travel abroad and getting lucrative jobs, reports Sunday Tribune.
Confirming the arrest of the suspect, the command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Olushola Olayinka Ayanlade, said the command got information about the suspect through intelligence report.
He said that the police discovered that Joshua’s residence is not far from the command headquarters.
“On the receipt of the information, operatives of Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit swiftly moved and got the victims with him in his compound.
“The victims were rescued and the suspect was promptly arrested,” Ayanlade said.
The PPRO stated that investigation revealed that the suspect created a WhatsApp group, posted links on his status and sent them to some of his victims who were females and whose contacts he had.
He reportedly told them that he could help connect them with travel opportunities through which they would meet the high and the mighty in the society.
“He invited them to his residence at Alagbaka area in Akure, and told them he had the means of taking them out of the country. He said he could arrange how they would obtain their international passports and visas to any country they desired, Sunday Tribune gathered.
The police image-maker stated further that after collecting money from the victims, with a commanding tone, he would ask the ladies to pull off their clothes for him to examine them medically.
“When he was asked why he did that, the suspect said that he wanted to know if any of them had infection,” DSP Ayanlade said.
Sunday Tribune learnt that some students told the police that he came to their schools, mostly universities, to say that the state government gave him a slot for him to do what he was doing to help.
He was said to have infiltrated the schools mostly during convocation ceremonies in the tertiary institutions.
In addition, he was alleged of getting the contacts of the students and adding them to the WhatsApp group he created. He was said to have told them that he would let them know if job opportunities came up, asking them to put the information on their WhatsApp status and school platforms.
The PPRO said that through this means, he was able to get his victims.
The suspect, who claimed to be a Christian missionary, allegedly collected about N4.5 million from the victims.
He also chatted privately with some of them, asking them to come to his house.
After his arrest, 15 victims came out to narrate their experiences, Sunday Tribune was told.
One of the students (name withheld) disclosed that she got the suspect’s contact and posted link through the WhatsApp platform of her school (name withheld ) in Akure. Two other students also said that he raped them. One of the two rape victims narrated how she cried while the suspect forcefully had carnal knowledge of her.
Recovered in his house while executing a search warrant were documents, application forms, photocopies of international passport biodata pages, among others.
During interrogation, the suspect confessed, saying that it was a scam perpetrated by him. He also confessed to having s3xual relationship with two of the victims but said it was consensual, not rape.
Sunday Tribune learnt that he had been charged to court.
