Police extradite suspect from UAE to Nigeria over ‘N492.7m fraud’

The Nigeria Police Force says it has extradited a suspected fraudster, Hassan Barau, to Nigeria for allegedly defrauding one Bayo Akinola of N492,750,000.

In a statement on Friday, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, force spokesperson, said Akinola filed a complaint in 2021 that he had been defrauded by Barau.

Adejobi said Akinola wanted to obtain foreign exchange (forex) for the purpose of purchasing a machine from the Netherlands.

“Michael sent a sum of N492,750,000 to the bank account of Mr. Mohammed Sulaiman. However, instead of facilitating the forex transaction as agreed, Mr. Sulaiman transferred the funds to another individual, Mr. Mohammed Hassan Barau,” Adejobi said.

“Mr. Hassan Barau, who resides in the United Arab Emirates, subsequently sent 513,000 Euros to Mr. Michael from Belgium, supposedly for the forex transaction.

“However, this transaction was flagged as fraudulent, leading Mr. Michael to return the funds to the sender. Realizing that he had been a victim of fraud, Mr. Michael made multiple attempts to recover his money but was unsuccessful.”

Adejobi said the case was assigned to  INTERPOL which launched an investigation into the matter.

He said Barau was placed on a red alert list “thereby facilitating international cooperation in tracking and apprehending the suspect”.

He added that Barau was arrested by INTERPOL Abu Dhabi and subsequently extradited to Nigeria on September 27.

“His extradition marks a crucial milestone in the pursuit of justice for Mr. Akinola Bayo Michael,” Adejobi said.

“The successful extradition of Mr. Mohammed Hassan Barau demonstrates the commitment of law enforcement agencies, both within and outside Nigeria, to ensuring that perpetrators of criminal activities, particularly those with international ramifications, are held accountable for their actions.

“This case underscores the importance of vigilance and due diligence in financial transactions, especially in the era of increasingly sophisticated fraud schemes.

“We urge individuals and businesses to exercise caution and verify the legitimacy of financial transactions to prevent falling victim to fraud.”