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German Police Arrest 11 Nigerians For Dating Scam, Money Laundering

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German Police have arrested 11 Nigerian nationals suspected to be members of a Black Axe group behind a large-scale dating scam and money laundering.

The Bavarian police in a statement on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, said that the gang was involved internationally in “multiple areas of criminal activity” with a focus in Germany on dating scams and money laundering.

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The police said the dating trick was a “modern form of marriage fraud”, adding that “Using false identities, the fraudsters for example signalled their intention to marry and in the course of further contact repeatedly demand money under various pretexts,”

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The police further said that the money was subsequently transferred to Black Axe in Nigeria “via financial agents.”

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According to the authorities, in the process, the gang used a “commodity-based money laundering” scheme where products, often with a seeming “charitable purpose” were bought and delivered to Nigeria.

Police added that 450 cases of dating and love scams were reported in the Bavaria region in 2023 with the damages rising to 5.3 million euros ($ 5.7 million).

READ ALSO: Former Manchester United Striker, Carlos Tevez Rushed To Hospital

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The police said that the suspects, who all held Nigerian citizenship and were aged between 29 and 53, were arrested in nationwide raids on Tuesday, explaining that law enforcement agents swooped on 19 properties, including both homes and asylum shelters.

The police added that the Black Axe gang had “strict hierarchical structures under leadership in Nigeria” operating different territorial units, stressing that the group had a “significant influence” on politics and public administrations, in particular in Nigeria.

It was said that globally, the gang’s main areas of operation were “human trafficking, fraud, money-laundering, prostitution and drug trafficking”.

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The police said that the action against Black Axe was the first of its kind in Germany.

 

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BREAKING: Former Customs Comptroller-General, Ahmed Aliyu Mustapha, Is Dead

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Dr. Ahmed Aliyu Mustapha, who served as Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service from 1999 to 2003, has passed away.

Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, confirmed his death in a statement shared on his social media pages on Thursday.

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Deeply saddened by the passing of Alhaji Ahmed Aliyu Musdafa, former CG of Customs. A man of service, dignity & duty whose legacy will live on. My prayers are with Lamido Adamawa, the Musdafa royal family & all who mourn him. May Allah grant him Aljannah Firdaus,” Fintiri wrote.

Mustapha, an elder brother to the Lamido of Adamawa, Alhaji Dr. Muhammadu Barkindo Aliyu Mustapha, also held the revered traditional title of Sardauna Adamawa.

READ ALSO: Six Dead, 10 Missing In China Bridge Collapse

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He joined the NCS as a young cadet and steadily rose through the ranks before his appointment as Comptroller-General in 1999, at the dawn of the Fourth Republic.

His tenure was marked by strengthened anti-smuggling operations, and he played a central role in several national task forces established to combat economic sabotage. In 1988, he received the Ministerial Award for Outstanding Performance, a recognition of his distinguished service.

Mustapha retired from the Service in December 2003, after more than three decades of active duty. In retirement, he remained a respected elder statesman within the Customs community and the Adamawa Emirate, where his counsel and influence continued to be widely sought until his passing.

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Lagos Man Killed In Fight, Suspect Arrested

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The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a man, Ebuka Adindu, for allegedly stabbing Sodiq Ibrahim to death during a violent confrontation in the Mandillas area of Lagos on Wednesday.

A social media user, @JackFleet, who first raised the alarm on X.com, wrote, “There’s a fracas going on presently in Lagos Island, Mandillas to be precise.

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Two guys were fighting, and it resulted in the death of one of them. Right now, street urchins have taken the law into their hands, stabbing innocent people on the street.”

Reacting to the post, the command’s spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, dismissed the claim that miscreants had taken over the area.

READ ALSO:Lagos: Police Arrest Security Guard For Stealing Generators, Others

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“Your claim of street urchins taking over the street is false. Please do not cause unnecessary panic. DPOs Lion Building and Ebute-Ero are currently on the ground with their men, maintaining the restored peace.

“Also, the suspect has been arrested and is in custody for further necessary actions,” Hundeyin stated in a post on Wednesday.

In a follow-up message to PUNCH Metro on Wednesday, Hundeyin clarified that the incident was not a tribal clash, as was being speculated.

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The Lagos State Police Command hereby wishes to inform the general public that there was no tribal clash or disturbance between any ethnic groups and others inside Balogun Market today.

READ ALSO:Man Kills Self In Imo Over Hardship, Family Neglect

“There was an incident of a free-for-all between some hoodlums and miscreants in the Balogun Market in the early hours of today at around 11 am.

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“During the fight, one Ebuka Adindu from Abia State stabbed one Sodiq Ibrahim from Kogi State to death, and the said Ebuka Adindu in turn stabbed himself on the shoulder and became unconscious.

“He is currently under arrest in the hospital, where he is being treated. Investigation into the matter will be concluded, and he will be prosecuted after he has been discharged from the hospital,” Hundeyin explained.

The police stressed that no innocent lives were lost, no other injuries were recorded, and no goods or property in the market was destroyed.

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READ ALSO:Bandits Kill Worshiper, Abduct Others In Sokoto Mosque

The statement read, “The Lagos State Police Command wishes to reiterate that the incident is not a tribal clash but purely between miscreants and hoodlums around the Balogun Market. Normalcy has been restored.

“Marketers and the general public on the Island and other parts of Lagos State are encouraged to go about their businesses and other lawful endeavours without fear or apprehension.”

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Hundeyin, quoting the state Commissioner of Police, Olohundare Jimoh, called on Lagos State residents “to remain law-abiding and cooperate with the police command to sustain existing peace in the state and not to spread fear in the mind of the public, as Lagos is generally peaceful.”

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JUST IN: NLC Defies Edo Assembly Resolution, Inaugurates Factional Caretaker Committee

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The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has inaugurated Professor Monday Igbafen as Caretaker Committee Chairman of the Edo State Council despite resistance from the state House of Assembly.

This particular faction is supported by the President of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Comrade Joe Ajero, while the Edo State government is in support of the Comrade Bernard Joman Egwakhide-led faction.

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The swearing-i was initially slated to take place at the Adams Oshiomhole Labour House in Benin City on Thursday, but the venue was locked and secured, apparently in a bid to block the event from taking place.

This came two days after the state House of Assembly passed a resolution urging the NLC to suspend the inauguration and instead recognize Comrade Bernard Joman Egwakhide as the rightful leader of the union in Edo.

READ ALSO: Strike: NLC To Shutdown FCT After Tinubu’s Project Inaugurations Labour

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In spite of this, the NLC delegation from the national secretariat, led by Comrade Oluwole Adeleye Sunday, pressed on with their plans.

The group initially moved to the ASUU Secretariat within the Ugbowo campus of the University of Benin, however, after information about that location was leaked, the team quickly relocated.

The inauguration was eventually conducted at an undisclosed venue under tight security.

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Speaking during the ceremony, Comrade Oluwole charged the newly constituted faction to restore unity within the state chapter.

You are to resolve all contending issues and work towards electing new executives,” he said.

READ ALSO: May Day Shocker: NLC Cancels Celebrations In Rivers, Edo States

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In his acceptance remarks, Professor Igbafen pledged to mend divisions within the Edo NLC, assuring stakeholders of a renewed focus on solidarity and internal cohesion.

At NLC Secretariat, operatives of the Nigeria Police Force sealed off the Edo State secretariat of the Nigeria Labour Congress otherwise known as the Adams Oshiomhole Labour House.

Similarly, the main gate of the University of Benin was beefed up with police personnel.

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Some suspected thugs were also seen loitering around the secretariat.

READ ALSO: NLC Turns May Day Into Protest March For Fubara In Rivers

A police Armoured Personnel Carrier was deployed to the NLC secretariat,
while heavy security at the Labour House and the UNIBEN main gate were present.

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Some NLC leaders from neighbouring states, who were scheduled to attend the inauguration, at the Labour House, expressed regret that they could not access the secretariat.

Speaking, Comrade Augustine Igben from the Maritime Workers Union, said he was embarrassed when he was not allowed entry into the Edo Labour House.

“I felt embarrassed about the whole thing. How can the police barricade the Labour House when there is no war. It is a Labour issue. They should allow Labour to settle the issues themselves.” He said.

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