The head of one of Nigeria’s largest prisons (Kirikiri) and the medical doctor at the prison have been arrested.
Emmanuel Oluwaniyi and Hemeson Edwin were arrested by the anti-graft agency, EFCC, for “allegedly giving exaggerated medical reports that warranted a convicted internet fraudster, Hope Aroke, who is serving a 24-year jail term, being given a referral to be treated outside the facility.”
Both men are Deputy Controllers (DC) of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS).
Mr Oluwaniyi is the Controller, Kirikiri Maximum Prison, while Mr Edwin is the head of the medical facility in the prison.
Newsmen last week reported how the EFCC said Mr Aroke despite currently serving his jail term in the prison has been attending parties as well as hosting guests at a hotel outside the prison facilities. He was also operating bank accounts from inside the prison where he was able to commit another $1 million fraud, the EFCC said.
The arrest of the prison officials was announced by the EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, in a statement sent to Journalists on Tuesday.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Lagos Zonal office, has arrested the duo of Emmanuel Oluwaniyi, a Deputy Controller (DC) Nigerian Correctional Service, NCS, and Hemeson Edwin, also a DC, for allegedly giving exaggerated medical reports that warranted a convicted internet fraudster, Hope Aroke, who is serving a 24-year jail term, being given a referral to be treated outside the facility.
The first suspect, Mr Oluwaniyi, who is the Controller, Kirikiri Maximum Prison, as well as the second suspect, Mr Edwin, who is in charge of the medical facility, was arrested on Monday, November 25, 2019, by operatives of the Commission.
The suspects have given useful information to the commission about their alleged involvement in the crime.
Mr Aroke, also known as H.Money, had masterminded a mega scam to the tune of over $1m scam.
He committed the alleged crime from prison, using a network of accomplices.
Mr Aroke was one of the two Malaysia-based Nigerian undergraduate fraudsters arrested by the EFCC towards the end of 2012 at the 1004 Housing Estate, Victoria Island, Lagos, following a tip-off.
Mr Aroke, who hails from Okene In Kogi State, had claimed to be a student of Computer Science at the Kuala Lumpur Metropolitan University, Malaysia.
However, investigations by the commission revealed Mr Aroke as the arrowhead of an intricate web of an internet fraud scheme that traverses two continents. When Mr Aroke was arrested, a search conducted by EFCC operatives on his apartment led to the recovery of several items such as laptops, iPad, traveling documents, cheque books, flash drives, internet modem, and three exotic cars – a Mercedes Benz Jeep, One 4Matic Mercedes Benz Car and a Range Rover Sport SUV.
He was eventually convicted by Justice Lateefa Okunnu of the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja on two counts of obtaining money by false pretence, cheque cloning, wire transfer and forgery.
He was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment on each of the two counts.
