18-year-old Arrested for Allegedly Selling Bars of Soap as Mobile Phones in Lagos

A teenager, Segun Adeyefa, 18, has been arrested
by officers of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of
the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly
selling bars of soap as mobile phones to people
in traffic.
The suspect, who confessed to the crime, was
arrested at 7:30PM on Tuesday by the officers on
routine patrol of Ikorodu Motor Park, while trying
to defraud a man.
Adeyefa, narrating his modu operandi, and what
made him go into the act, said:
My action was prompted when I was swindled by
two guys about a year ago by this way. I had
intention of buying a phone but unknowingly to
me it was a cut-to-size bar of soap just looked
similar to a phone shape.
The two guys approached me on my way to work,
then, I was learning a plumbing work somewhere
around Ikorodu.
I bought the phone which was advertised to me
as ‘London used phone’ for N2, 500.
As I left the place, I checked the phone I bought,
to my surprise, I discovered it was a soap I
bought for such amount.
That very moment I promised myself to revenge
by doing same to the people.
After I discovered that it was a cut-to-size soap I
bought as phone, I learnt that tactics by
understudying the material.
The item contained cut-to-size soap, carton and
wrapped all together with a cello tape.
What I usually do is called ‘exchange’. My
prospective victims will have the mind of buying
handset from me but unknowingly to them I
would have changed the real handset to soap
wrapped with cut to size carton put inside an
envelope.
I will engage them in discussion after showing
them real phone initially, and in the process of
bargaining for the price, I will change it with the
aid of white handkerchief to fake phone.
And, I will tell them to keep the phone inside their
pockets immediately, that people are watching
us. As soon as the buyer leave the spot, I will
immediately change my location by moving to
another place.
The State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO),
SP Dolapo Badmus, who confirmed the arrest,
said that the suspect has been transferred to
Lagos State Task Force on Environment for
prosecution.