Fraudulent football agent in police net

A -29-year-old man, was on Thursday paraded by the police for allegedly defrauding three people of the sum of N684,000.

Mavis Ossom allegedly collected the combined amount in the pretence that he was going to procure travelling documents for the victims' children who are all prospective footballers. He promised David Aruoture, Lucky Obotuke and Helen Amawe that all their children would travel to Syria and sign professional deals but failed to keep his end of the bargain.

Police deputy spokes person Chris Onyeisi while parading the suspect at the Oduduwa police station, said the suspect is one of many similar fraudsters in Lagos.

"We have this type of people all over the state. This is a case of obtaining money under false pretence and stealing by tricks, "he said.

"On the 1st of September, we received compliant from two people that one Mavis Ossom defrauded them. We started our investigation and the suspect was picked up. We discovered that the suspect claimed and posed to be a football agent. He cajoled some desperate boys under the pretence that he was going to assist them travel to Syria and China to get football clubs for them. He collected the sum of N684, 000 from their parents and then went to dump them in a hotel in Agbor."

Innocent Obotuke, one of the footballers, said the suspect hypnotised them before he took them to the hotel.

"Mr. Mavis promised to take us to Syria. After paying all the money, we found ourselves in a hotel in Agbor we did not know who we were until the people my father sent came to rescue us."

Mr. Ossom however denied the allegation.

"These boys are my friends," he said.

"I am also a footballer in Singapore and when I came back, they told me to introduce them to my manager that took me abroad. I told them it will cost them money and the procurement of their visa will take time. But they told me that they had told their friends that they were already travelling out so they need to leave Lagos while they wait for their visas to be ready. They were the ones that brought the idea of going to Agbor and changing their sim cards. This is not a false trip but they were not patient enough."

David Aruoture, the father of one of the boys said the suspect entered into agreement with them that he was going to refund the N684,000 he collected from them; an agreement he did not fulfil.

"He brought a lawyer, Stephen Ejiofor from the Nzeagwu Chambers on the 10th of July that he was going to refund our money; he collected N250, 000 from me, N224, 000 from Mr. Obotuke and N210, 000 from Mrs Amawe. After paying part of the money, he absconded. That was why we went back to the police." Mr. Ossom however accused the Okokomaiko police officers of bribery.

"I have not refunded the remaining money, because I have ran out of cash. The policemen at Okokomaiko kept asking me for money to kill the case. When their trouble became too much, I decided to write a petition against them. I know that if they give me time, I will contact my manager and these boys will travel to Syria."