The Ondo State Police Command has apprehended a suspected notorious impersonator, Abdullahi Saliu, who allegedly posed as a Colonel in the Nigerian Army to swindle unsuspecting victims of N1,377,000.
Saliu deceitfully promised employment opportunities in the Nigeria Customs and Immigration Services to two victims, Oshoade Janet and Daisi Remilekun Joy, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ayanlade Olusola, said in a statement issued yesterday.
He said the state Police Command’s operatives tracked down Saliu to a hotel in Akure, the state capital, after diligent investigation, revealing that the suspect’s operations spanned multiple states, including Edo, Delta, Kogi, and Ondo.
According to him, “The suspect deceitfully lured and defrauded two unsuspecting female victims, Oshoade Janet and Daisi Remilekun Joy, under the false pretext of securing employment opportunities for their sons in the Nigeria Customs and Immigration Services.
“Through this fraudulent scheme, he obtained the sum of N1,377,000, which he subsequently converted to his personal use.
“Investigations further revealed that the suspect’s operations cut across state lines, with victims traced to Edo, Delta, Kogi, and Ondo States. He has long been on the Command’s watch list as a notorious job racketeer known for impersonating senior officers of different security agencies.
“His disguise and fraudulent claims include presenting himself variously as a Colonel in the Nigerian Army, a naval officer, a senior Immigration and Customs officer, among others, all in a bid to defraud unsuspecting citizens of their hard-earned money.”
Olushola, who added that the suspect has been arraigned before the Magistrate Court for appropriate prosecution, said the feat represents one of the several cases successfully cracked by the Ondo State Police Command in recent times.
(This Day)
