By Michael Ofulue, Osogbo

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The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Osun State command has arrested a syndicate specializing in mobile phone theft and defrauding unsuspecting members of the public.

The suspects, who were arrested at different locations in Osogbo, the State capital, are Kayode Owoseni (35), a two-time ex-Olasunkanmi Adesina (42),  a suspected cultist; and Kehinde Bankole (32), resident of Idi-Omo, Sabo.

According to the state Commandant of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Osun State Command, Michael Adaralewa, the arrest followed a complaint from one of their victims, whose phone was stolen.

Adaralewa said the complainant reported that on the  June 14, 2024, two men came to buy sachet water in her shop at Inisa, Osun State. While attending to the men, she kept her phone on one of the tables in the shop. The duo later said they were not buying anything and promised to come back. It was after they left the shop that the victim realized she could not find her phone.

“Upon her complaint, the command swung into action, and members of the syndicate were arrested on the  July1, 2024.

“Diligent investigation revealed that one of the suspects, Kayode Owoseni, had been convicted twice for a similar offense. In his confessional statement, the suspect (Kayode) revealed that he learned the act of pickpocketing from his friends and that their base is at Oja Oba, Osogbo.

During interrogation, one of the suspects, Adeshina Olasunkanmi, said he belongs to a cult group known as ‘Eta Fraternity.’

He confessed that the stolen phones had been sold, but before then, he used the phone’s Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) card to call unsuspecting members of the public, pretending to be an old man who mistakenly dialed phone numbers.

In the course of the conversation, he would tell the receiver of the call that he is an herbalist and would want to offer assistance with money rituals. Members of the public who fell for the trap had sent money to him for sacrifices, and he later destroyed the SIM cards to obliterate evidence.

The suspect further revealed that he worked in collaboration with a man he referred to as ‘JEEGUN,’ and both of them have been defrauding members of the public of their hard-earned money for the past fifteen (15) years.