Alleged sakawa boy arrested after scamming American woman

Vonapolouis Moss, an American citizen, was taken in by the Kwara State Police Command in Ilorin after she was allegedly scammed by a 23-year-old suspected internet fraudster.

Paul Odama, the state commissioner of police, told reporters on Friday, January 13, 2023, that the suspect was Awoleye Joshua Oluwatofunmi of Ilorin's Sabo-Oke Road.

The CP says that Vonapolouis Moss, who lives at 2962, W 64th Court, Merrillville, Indiana 46410, USA, was tricked into the country on January 9, 2023, by the suspect, who then stole more than $1,000 from her.

"On January 12, 2023, at about 1200 hours, operatives of the SCID at the Kwara State Police command arrested one Awoleye Joshua Oluwatofunmi, "male," of Sabo-Oke Road, Ilorin, who was with one Vonapolouis Moss, "female," an American citizen in a hotel on Flower Garden Road, Ilorin," the commissioner said.

"A preliminary investigation showed that the suspect, who goes by the name Yahoo Boy and is an internet con artist, posed as an American named Howard Adams on the social media site TikTok and scammed the victim out of about $1,000 USD.

"Later, the suspect went a step further and got the victim to fly to Nigeria on January 9, 2023, through the Muritala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos. The next day, she flew to Ilorin, where the suspect met her.

"The suspect also stole an unknown amount of US dollars from the victim before police officers saved her."

"The right people have been contacted so that the right thing can be done. The person who was saved has been moved to a safe place by the State Police command until she can go back to the US," he said.

The head of the police force said that the command would continue to do its job with a strong sense of responsibility. He also said that the command would always be willing to respect the rights of every citizen.