Man nabbed by EFCC for disguising as gay to defraud gay men of $8,420

The Kaduna Zonal Command of the EFCC, on Monday, October 25, 2021, arraigned one Abdulrahim Dangana before Justice Darius Khobo of the Kaduna State High Court, Kaduna, on one count charge that borders on obtaining by pretense.

The defendant is an internet fraudster who preys on homosexuals online. He allegedly registered on a Gay/Bisexual hook-up App and a website, using the assumed names: RYAN, DAVE, FRANK, and ERIC.

According to the EFCC, he employed the fake profiles to contrive romantic relationships with gay individuals, and after establishing what appears to be a genuine relationship with his victims, he lures them into sending him adult pictures, which he eventually used to blackmail and extort them through gift cards and bitcoins.

“Between January and September 2021, in Kaduna, you allegedly obtained the total sum of $8,420.00 from innocent victims when you falsely presented yourself as a white homosexual man on an online application and in the assumed character blackmailed them that you will expose them to their families and loved ones which pretense you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Frud and Other Frud Related Offences Act 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act,” the one-count charge reads.

The suspect, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read to him. Upon his plea, the prosecution counsel Nasiru Salele asked the court to fix a date for trial but the defence counsel, Solomon Otuwaga, urged the court to release his client on bail.

Justice Khobo, thereafter granted bail to the defendant in the sum of N1,000,000.00 and one surety in like sum who must be resident in Kaduna with valid means of identification. The case has been adjourned till December 2, 2021.