His real name is Andy Teddy Edward. But to some prospective models, he is known as Ibim Noah. He is described as a master’s degree holder and a smooth talker, who, for years was alleged to have successfully robbed different women using a fictitious modelling recruitment agency platform.
Posing as a modelling agent, he would invite the ladies for auditioning and then rob them of their cars and valuables at gunpoint. He was said to always be in military camouflage in bid to further confuse his victims.
He ran out of luck when his latest victim, simply identified as Onyinye, whom he robbed of her Lexus RX330 SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) and several valuables worth millions of naira lodged a complained at the police station.
Acting on the petition by Onyinye, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alabi deployed operatives of the command’s Special Squad who fished him out after several weeks of intensive manhunt.
Most of his victims told the police that they got his contact through an Instagram account known as amazingqueenadams.
Benjamin Hundeyin, a Superintendent of Police and spokesman of the command, said further investigation led to the recovery of one Ford Edge SUV with registration number KRD 276 EG, one sewing machine, one POS machine with six SIM cards, two pairs of military camouflage uniform, and one number plate – AFL 469 GD, in the suspect’s house.
The suspect has been arraigned in court and more of his victims are coming out.
I was simply smart not armed
At the police station, Edward who resides at Olayinka Jumbo Street, in Ikorodu, Lagos claimed that he simply convinced the ladies to part with their money without applying much pressure with gun.
Said he: “I am a native of Cross River but raised in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. I am married with a child. I read Computer Science for my first degree and Electrical and Electronic Engineering for my master’s degree. My father is a retired military man and since there was not much happening in PH, I decided to relocate to Lagos State in 2020. Things were not as expected, so I had no choice but to use my computer skills to help myself. I started scamming girls through fake modelling contracts. I do not have a gun; I simply scammed them through words of mouth.
“I created an Instagram account claiming to be a woman and the owner of the agency. I wooed them with the opportunity to be the brand ambassador of top organisations in Nigeria, a three-bedroom apartment and new car. As soon as they get in-touch in with me through the account, I will refer them to an agent and they will call the number which is mine. They will be expected to pay N80,000 to create an account on the modelling site. I collect as low as N25,000 if I discover that the applicant looks poor.”
Edward further stated that he decided to wear military camouflages when it became obvious that majority of the girls who applied were reluctant to continue with the project. He said: “Most of them will suddenly stopped contacting me because they are not sure if the job is real. I travelled home and got military camouflages from my father’s wardrobe. Till I was arrested, they never knew I took it. The game changed as so many of the girls followed through. They thought that I am a Captain who was doing the job by the side. To sound convincing, I would ask them to bring all kinds of documents, including affidavit, I would also access their phones pretending to download an application for the project. We will even do a photo session. Initially when I started, I was able to snatch a Ford Edge SUV from one of my victims in Alausa area of Lagos. It’s the vehicle that I was using till I was arrested by the police. The other cars and valuables were sold to one Wahab. The girls are the ones who willingly gave me their passwords, even the four digit number on their debit card.”
He was armed
Despite Edward’s claim, all his victims alleged that he used a pistol to dispossess them of their cars and valuables. His most current victim simply identified as Onyinyechi whose Lexus was snatched told the police that on July, 2022, she got a message on her Instagram account from one Adams Queen Akpobume, the owner of amazingqueenadams to bring clothes for a photo-shoot. “I am a fashion designer and stylist. I indicated interest and Adam Queen called me and referred me to an agent whose name was Ibim Noah. I called him and we agreed to meet at Lekki around 1pm. I got there much later because of traffic and when we met, I showed him all the outfits and he asked for a valid identification number.
“He was driving a black Ford Escape SUV and we drove in his car to Lush Mall in Lekki. I noticed a military camouflage and I asked him and he said that he is a Captain. On our way he made a lot of calls to people I assumed were his bosses. After a while, he said we should go to Victoria Island for the photo-shoot as there was no space at the studio in Lush Mall.
“At this point, I told him that I would like to drive my car, so that it would be easy for me to go home from there. It was already past 7pm. We agreed to meet at a point in VI. When I got my car, I stopped at a restaurant to eat where he finally met me. This time, he was not driving. He apologised for coming there very late and asked that we reschedule. I decided to drop him off and on our way, he brought out a pistol. I had to come down and he drove off with my car. He took my car and all the valuables inside it. They include phones, sewing machine, different types of exotic outfits, documents and bank debit cards. I reported to the police and they found him and recovered my car,” she narrated.
The owner of the Ford Escape SUV simply identified as Gift who claimed she was scammed and robbed in December 2020, told the police that she was convinced when she was told that the recruiting agency was 9mobile telecommunications. “I was contacted through my Instagram account by one Queen who later called me on phone asked me to contact Mr. Ibim Noah. She explained that Noah was the approved agent for the modelling agency in charge of recruitment. We agreed to meet at a hotel in Ajegunle where he explained details of the job. He told me that part of the deal would be to visit orphanages. I told him that I was interested and had a lot of things to give out. He asked me to go home and bring the stuff and also plan to spend three days. He claimed that we have a lot to do and the agency would lodge me in a hotel.
“I was excited and brought everything. Just like he promised, on December 23, we went to an orphanage in Ikorodu where I gave out the stuff I came with. Plenty photos were taken and I was excited with hope that all these is a guarantee that I have gotten the job. We moved to Omole phase 2, in Ogudu where I was lodged in a hotel. We started the process of registration, which includes photo editing. This was how I gave him access to my iphone. He wasted so much time doing the so-called registration and I dozed off. Minutes later when I woke up, I realised that he had escaped with my car. He went with everything including my passport and original documents. Nine months later, I saw him around Eko Hotels in VI trying to pick one lady. He zoomed off before I could get to him. I am happy that the police caught him and recovered my car.”
Another victim, Nkechi, who is a professional model, claimed she fell into Edward’s trap sometime in March 2022. “I got a chat from Queen who claimed to be a designer. She told me about the modelling contract with 9mobile and gave me a number to call. I called the Edward and he asked me to bring credentials and outfits for a photo-shoot. I met him at Ikorodu and he asked me to pay N200,000 for the registration and processing of documents. He assured me that I would get the ambassadorial deal, a house, car and several visit to orphanage homes. He even asked for my COVID-19 vaccination card and several original documents. I paid him cash and entered his car with my bag and everything with me. He drove us to a market and said that he wanted to use the computer centre and submit my documents. He sent me to make a photocopy and when I wanted to pick my bag, he asked me to hurry so I left everything in his car. By the time I came back, he had gone,” she alleged.
Hauwa, yet another victim claimed she paid N100,000 to him, adding that when she realised that it could be a scam, she asked for a refund. She was drugged through a bottle of coke and robbed by Edward, she claimed.
Osita, a 38-year-old lady who claimed to have also been scammed by Edward, said she was lured to Ikorodu where she was robbed of all her valuables.
Chioma Okezie-Okeh
