Nigerian man convicted of defrauding 272 people of £220k in the U.K, months after he gained asylum by claiming he was being persecuted in Nigeria for being gay

Azeez, who won refugee status in the U.K. by claiming he was being persecuted by Boko Haram militants in Nigeria for being gay, was found his been convicted of masterminding a £220,000 Facebook and eBay parcel fraud racket, Aso Naija Reports.

After gaining asylum, the convicted went on to have three children with three women, marrying the third. He now says he is bisexual.

Azeez teamed up with Nigerian fraudsters to craft a sophisticated and well-resourced sales scam, targeting items on eBay, Facebook Marketplace, and WhatsApp.

Individuals selling high-value items were convinced to dispatch their goods to various addresses, promised payment upon arrival. However, Azeez would, in reality, collect the items and sell them in his brother’s electronics shop.

In a span of 14 months, as many as 272 victims dispatched goods totaling £220,000 to unfamiliar residences, lured into the scam by Azeez. He incentivized his partners with a share from each sale in exchange for receiving the wrongfully obtained items.

police eventually tracked down Azeez as he was dropping off one of his young sons at primary school. As he was about to be detained, he hid three smartphones used in the scam inside the boy’s school bag, which were found by a teaching assistant.

Additionally, the phones were found to contain videos made by Azeez: one sent to an underworld contact named “Baddest Boy” showed images of used smartphones stolen from sellers. Most of the proceeds were spirited out of the UK using Bitcoin.

However, at Bolton Crown Court, Azeez admitted conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and plotting to possess criminal property. He will be sentenced next week but faces up to six years in jail.