A 35 -year- old man, Michael Atanda, who has been
threatening to expose nude pictures of four ladies on the social media
if they fail to pay money into his account has been arrested by the
operatives of the Rapid Response Squad of the Lagos State Police
Command.
Atanda, a computer science National Diploma holder of a popular computer school based in Ikeja, was arrested on Thursday by the Decoy Team of the Rapid Response Squad after about five days of baiting and monitoring.
Atanda, an ex – convict and a father of three, had
collected N121,000:00 from his four girlfriends with the threat but
wanted the ladies to pay more or face the consequences of leaking their
nude pictures on social media.
Operating as Segun Bayo on facebook and a graduate of
Obafemi Awolowo University Ile – Ife, Atanda said he went about adding
several ladies on facebook. And, that after two weeks, he would start
chatting with them.
“The profile picture on my facebook account is that of a
guy based in London, and so as part of my introductions to ladies, I
tell them that, I am a Construction Engineer as well as that my parents
and I are living Europe" the suspect said
He continued that " After sometime, I would lure them into
sexual conversations during which, I persuaded them to send their nude
pictures to me. They would send and I would send mine to them too" .
" Before that I would pretended that I was seeking a serious
relationship with them, and that very soon, I would be coming to Abuja
on a business trip, during which I would see them”, he stated.
The suspect continued that “I would again feign my
seriousness by calling them with the aid of computer software that
transforms my Nigerian line into an international line.
Meanwhile, I would warn them that I was calling through a
public phone booth. As soon as they have sent their nude pictures, I
would come up with all manners of stories. I would begin to extort and
blackmail them.
Through this means, I have collected over N121, 000:00 from my latest victims.
I was jailed last years in a similarly circumstance after
fraudulently collecting N700, 000:00 from a lady I met through a dating
site. I was eventually bailed but the case is still pending in court" he
confessed.
He further confessed that " I have collected only 10,000:00
from Funmilola, Motunrayo, N6,000, Joy, N5,000 and Lizzy, N100,000:00”.
A source within RRS disclosed that apart from Lizzy, who
reported the incident but declined to press charges, three other
suspects, who were discovered during investigations, acknowledged on
phone calls they have been paying the suspect so that he doesn’t leak
their nude photographs online.
The source added that even though, investigators have
reached out to more victims after checking the suspect’s facebook
conversations with a number of ladies.
All of them have refused to come forward, after confirming they were paying the suspect through his bank statement.
The source added that out the 210 friends on his Facebook, over 195 are young ladies.
Confirming the development, the Police Public Relations
Officer, Suprintendent Dolapo Badmos, said that the Police were
carrying out a thorough investigation on the case to aid prosecution.
The suspect has been transferred to SCID for further investigations.
