From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
Two friends who specialised in buying goods with fake alert have been arrested by Osun State Police Command.
The suspects, Olalere Gbenga (54) and Muftau Balogun (37), were allegedly arrested where they bought three bags of rice with fake alert after attending their trial in court on a similar offence.
The spokesperson of the police in Osun, Yemisi Opalola, who paraded the suspects on Wednesday, explained that the suspects were arrested on 6th January 2025 at about 6:45pm, upon information received from members of the Local Hunters Group, Osogbo.
The suspects, who were allegedly arrested with three bags of rice, were said to have been arrested by police operatives from Ata-Oja division in September 2024 on a similar offence reported by about 24 complainants.
“The suspects were charged to court and remanded at the Ilesa Correctional Centre for two months—September to November 2024—but unfortunately, the very day they were granted bail at the court, they went and committed the same offence of purchasing rice/vegetable oil with fake transfer alerts where nemesis caught up with them,” the police said.
Speaking with our correspondent, the suspects admitted that they had been remanded in prison for a similar offence and came out to continue, even while their matter is still in court.
“We were remanded for two months before they granted us bail. We were returning from the court on that day when Gbenga said we should go and buy rice with fake alert and they arrested us after buying three bags of rice,” Balogun said.
Gbenga, who claimed to have been dismissed from Ministry of Finance in Oyo State, said he met Balogun in the street and took him as his friend.