Fraudsters impersonate Tinubu, Saraki, dupe job seekers of N20m
Some suspected fraudsters, who
specialised in cloning phone numbers of ministers, politicians and aides
to President Muhammadu Buhari, have been apprehended by the police.
The suspects were identified as Chief
Ovie Ogogo, 47; Abdulazeez Eragbe, 40; Babatunde Oshamoto, 49; and
25-year-old Samuel Idah.
Fourteen phones with SIM cards allegedly
registered with names of top government officials were reportedly
recovered from the suspects.
Among those impersonated by the
syndicate, according to the police, are Chief of Staff to the President,
Abba Kyari; the National Security Adviser, Babagana Moguno; the
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibeh Kachukwu; and the
Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun.
They were also accused of impersonating a
national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu;
the Senate President, Bukola Saraki; the Minister of Transport, Rotimi
Amaechi; and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir
Lawal.
PUNCH Metro learnt that
operatives of the Inspector-General of Police, led by ACP Abba Kyari,
trailed the syndicate to a hotel in Kaduna State on Tuesday, after
receiving complaints from some victims.
A police source disclosed to one of our
correspondents that the suspects impersonated Moguno to collect N13m
from a Ghanaian, who wanted to get an oil block in Nigeria, and posed as
Lawal to swindle one Nnamdi Udo of N4m under false pretences of helping
him to get a federal appointment.
“They also posed as the Chief of Staff
to the President and collected N2.5m from one Mr. Bishop, who was
looking for a contract, and another N700,000 from one Shehu Dan Yahaya,
who was seeking a federal appointment.
“Ogogo, a native of Omoku Rivers State,
impersonated prominent citizens from the South-South and South-East;
Eragbe impersonated prominent persons from the North; Oshamoto posed as
prominent citizens from the South-West and North-Central; while Idah
supplied them SIM cards registered with the names of the top government
officials.
“They were arrested in a luxury hotel in
Kaduna and had confessed to impersonating several prominent citizens,”
the source added.
Another senior police officer disclosed to PUNCH Metro that the suspects confessed to have realised N20m in six months from their criminal activities.
He added that the mastermind of the gang was based in the United Kingdom.
He said, “Ogogo is their leader; but
they mentioned one Prince Maurice, based in the UK, as their gang
leader. Fourteen different phones, several registered SIM cards, and a
diary containing phone numbers of several top government officials, were
recovered from the suspects.
“Ogogo further confessed that they had made over N20m from their criminal activities within the last six months.”
Parading the suspects on Thursday in Abuja, the police spokesman, Jimoh Moshood, said all the suspects confessed to the crime.
He said, “On March 23, 2017, the
Intelligence Response Team arrested these notorious criminals who posed
as top government functionaries.
“The four-man syndicate, led by one
‘High Chief’ Ovie Ogogo, was arrested in a hotel in Kaduna State. All
the suspects confessed to the crime and admitted to have impersonated
several prominent citizens and made over N20m within the last six
months.”
The police said other suspects would
soon be arrested, while those in custody would be arraigned in court at
the conclusion of investigation. -PUNCH.
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