Graduate arrested for blackmailing women with their nude photos

A 35-year-old man has been arrested by the Lagos State Police Command for using naked photos of some ladies to blackmail them into paying him money.

Michael Atanda, who bears Segun Bayo on Facebook, had allegedly collected N120,000 from four ladies after threatening to expose their nude pictures on social media.

“Atanda, a computer science National Diploma holder of a popular computer school based in Ikeja, was arrested on Thursday by the surveillance Team of the Squad after about five days of baiting and monitoring,” the police said in a statement on Sunday.

The police said the suspect, who is in court for a similar offence, had requested for more money from the ladies.

A graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Mr. Atanda went about adding several ladies on facebook, and after two weeks, he would start chatting with them, the police added.

“The profile picture on my facebook account is that of a guy based in London, and so as part of my introductions to ladies, I tell them that, I am a Construction Engineer as well as that my parents and I are living in Europe” the police quoted the suspect as saying.

“After sometime, I would lure them into sexual conversations during which I persuaded them to send their nude pictures to me. They would send and I would send mine to them too.”

“Before that I would pretend that I was seeking a serious relationship with them, and that very soon, I would be coming to Abuja on a business trip, during which I would see them.”

Mr. Atanda said, according to the police, he would feign seriousness in the relationship by calling the ladies with the aid of computer software that transforms his Nigerian line into an international line.

“Meanwhile, I would warn them that I was calling through a public phone booth,” he said.

“As soon as they have sent their nude pictures, I would come up with all manners of stories. And begin to extort and blackmail them. Through this means, I have collected over N121,000 from my latest victims.

“I was jailed last year in a similar circumstance after (I) fraudulently collected N700, 000 from a lady I met through a dating site. I was eventually bailed but the case is still pending in the court.”

The suspect said he had collected N10,000 from one Funmilola, N6,000 from one Motunrayo, N5,000 from Joy, and N100,000 from Lizzy.

The police said apart from Lizzy, who reported the incident but declined to press charges, three other suspects, who were discovered during investigations, acknowledged on phone calls they had been paying the suspect so that he doesn’t leak their nude photographs online.

The police said investigators had reached out to more victims after checking the suspect’s Facebook conversations with a number of ladies, but all of them refused to come forward, after confirming they were paying the suspect through his bank statement.

Confirming the development, the Police Public Relations Officer, Dolapo Badmos, said that the police were carrying out a thorough investigation on the case to aid prosecution.

The police said the suspect has been transferred to SCID for further investigations.