The Dublin Circuit Criminal Court of the Republic of Ireland has sentenced three Nigerians to jail for defrauding a 66-year-old Irish on-air personality of €304,000 (about N130 million at the moment).
The fraudsters, who the Irish police suspect of working for Black Axe, a confraternity of Nigerian origin, defrauded the Irish woman under the guise of a business deal.
Using a fake account with the name ‘Neil Turner’ on the Plenty of Fish dating website, the trio started chatting with the woman in November 2019.
The Irish Sun reported that the trio claimed to have a business dealing in oil and gas off the coast of Cork.
The conmen soon began to ask the woman for money to help ‘Turner’ with his business. This was after they claimed ‘Turner’ was due to receive a large inheritance.
The Irish woman transferred over €254,000 to ‘Turner’ within six months. She also borrowed an additional €50,000 and gave it to ‘Turner’. This is according to Nigerian Abroad.
When the woman began to smell a rat, she contacted the National Economic Crime Bureau, and the fraudster’s profile was linked to the three Nigerian men in Ireland.
Omowale Owolabi, 31, of Navan Co Meath, admitted to theft. Raak Sami Sadu, 32, of Clonsilla, Dublin, admitted to conspiracy to commit fraud. And Samson Ajayi, 33, of Grangerath, Co Meath, admitted to money laundering.
Judge Martin Nolan jailed Owolabi for three years and three months, Ajayi for two and a half years and Sadu for three years.
