An American woman, Vonapolouis Moss, has been rescued by the police in Ilorin, Kwara State capital, after being allegedly swindled by a 23-year-old suspected internet fraudster, Awoleye Joshua Oluwatofunmi.
The state commissioner of Police, Paul Odama, who disclosed this while addressing journalists on Friday, January 13, 2023, said Vonapolouis Moss of 2962, W 64th Court, Merrillville, Indiana 46410, USA, was allegedly lured into the country on January 9, 2023, by the suspect, who ripped her off over 1,000 USD.
Odama said, “On January 12, 2023, at about 1200 hours, based on actionable intelligence, operatives of the SCID at the Kwara State Police command arrested one Awoleye Joshua Oluwatofunmi, “male” of Sabo-Oke Road, Ilorin, within the premises of an hotel along Flower Garden Road, Ilorin, in company of one Vonapolouis Moss, “female” an American citizen.
“A preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect, who is an internet fraudster known as Yahoo Boy, presented himself to the victim on TikTok, a social media platform, as an American by the name of Howard Adams and ripped her off of about 1,000 USD.
“The suspect later took a step further by luring the victim to fly into Nigeria on January 9, 2023, through the Muritala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos, after which she flew into Ilorin the next day and was received by the suspect.
“The suspect also deceitfully took an unspecified amount of USD from the victim before she was rescued by police operatives.
“The necessary authorities have been contacted for appropriate action. Meanwhile, the rescued victim has been moved into secure custody by the State Police command pending her return trip to the USA.” he added.
The police commissioner said that the command would continue to discharge its duties with a full sense of responsibility, adding that it would be willing at all times to respect the rights of every citizen.