The photo of the 19-year-old Yabatech ND (National Diploma) holder has been arrested by the Lagos state police command for allegedly blackmailing popular Nigerian music icon, Queen Salawa Abeni with her private photos.
The suspect (Oladunjoye Emmanuel Olufowoke) narrated to the police on how he got the private photos of the music star saying he came across the picture through a memory card he found on the floor in school. The suspect was arrested last Thursday by the decoy team of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS).
Oladunjoye Emmanuel who before his arrest currently lives at Brentfield Avenue, Peace Estate, Magboro, Ogun State, further opined he got hold of the picture in November 2019 but just wanted to make quick bucks from it just once and then discard the photos.
The 2017/2018 Electrical Engineering student was picked up after three days of monitoring him.
RRS said the Commissioner of Police Hakeem Odumosu had in the wake of the attempt by an unknown individual to blackmail Alhaja Salawa Abeni sometime in April 2020, directed its Commander, DCP Olatunji Disu to fish out the suspect.
“After technical diagnosis of the complaint, the Decoy Team narrowed down on the suspect few days later, ” the police said.
The Nation learnt that the suspect couldn’t be picked because of the COVID- 19 pandemic.
The suspect, in his statement to the police, confessed to have been the mastermind of the ploy to publish some nude pictures of the Waka Queen in exchange for money, adding that he was alone in the scheme.
He added that after downloading the nude photographs of Abeni on his phone, he picked up her mobile number from her Instagram page.
RRS quoted Olufowoke as saying: “On 1st of April, 2020, I chatted her up and also called her after sending few of the photos to her online.
“I thought everything was going on fine until the following day when I heard the news of the blackmail over the radio. I was with my mother. She was even cursing the blackmailer unknown to her that I was the brain behind it.
“I immediately sneaked out, destroyed the memory card and threw my mobile phone and SIM card into nearby wetland in Magboro. Since then, I never mentioned it to anyone and called Madam Salawa Abeni about it again.”
Odumosu said no individual would be allowed to commit a crime in Lagos from any state or escape to other states to evade arrest.
He urged guardians to monitor their wards, emphasising that the internet is a fertile ground for opportunities but the police would not allow criminals use it as avenue to exploit law–abiding Nigerians.
