Two in Soup for Cloning Gov Ambode’s Phone Line

Azeez Folorunso/

Two men are in trouble over alleged attempt to make N50million by cloning the telephone line of Lagos State governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode.

Rilwan Jamiu and Balogun Stanley Oyewole appeared before Justice Sodetan Ogunsanya of a Lagos High Court, in Ikeja Division today for allegedly cloning the governor’s telephone line in an attempt to defraud the Accountant General of Lagos State.

They allegedly cloned Ambode’s Glo line and sent it to the Accountant General, Mrs Abimbola Shkrat Umar, asking her to pay N50 million into an account.

Mrs Umar told the Court: “On February 10, 2016, I received a text message at exactly 12.52pm. Initially I thought the message was from his Excellency the Executive Governor of Lagos State, because the name which I stored his number with was the same one that appeared in my inbox.

“The message read, ‘AG, urgently transfer N50m to Dayder Limited acc no 002806988 Keystone bank. We will talk later’.

“I became suspicious because his Excellency does not send text message for any payment. He normally calls to his office when the need arises.

“This text message also looked strange because his Excellency would not end his message with H.E nor start with AG. This is not his pattern. I put a call to the Governor and he immediately asked me to bring the phone for the security to investigate the text since the message did not come from him.”

The suspects, who pleaded not guilty to the three count charge of attempting to commit felony, and obtaining money by false pretence, allegedly committed the offence at Block 11, State Treasury Office, Ministry of Finance, Alausa, in Ikeja.

Justice Ogunsanya, thereafter, adjourned the matter till November 17 for trial while she ordered the defendants to be remanded in prison.

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