By Chizoba Ogbeche
Abuja
The Nigeria Police, yesterday, said that operatives of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), has arrested four suspects over alleged impersonation of top government functionaries.
Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), CSP Jimoh Moshood, who made this known in a press statement in Abuja, said the suspects, before their arrest, had posed variously as Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr. Abba Kyari, to extort their unsuspecting victims to the tune of N20 million.
The FPRO named the suspects as follows: High Chief Ovie Ogo (Eze Ireoma of Omoku-Rivers state), 47, who is a native of Ekpan in Ethiope East LGA of Delta state; Abdullazeez Eragbe, 40: Babatunde Oshamoto, 49; and Samuel Idah, 25.
He said a member of the gang, Prince Attah a.k.a Maurice, based in United Kingdom, was at large. Items recovered included: Fourteen (14) assorted G.S.M sets, all with sim cards registered with the names of top Government officials and other prominent Nigerians.”
According to Moshood: “On March 28, 2017, the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) on the of cracked and arrested these notorious suspected criminals who posed as chief of staff to President, Senate President, National Security Adviser to President, Minister of petroleum, Minister of Finance, Minister of Transport, Chief Bola Tinubu, and many other prominent Nigerians.
“In a coordinated operation in synergy with the Technical Intelligence Unit (TIU) after a painstaking and sustained surveillance by IRT the above mentioned suspects were arrested. The four man gang notorious syndicate led by one High Chief Ovie Ogo (Eze Ireoma of Omoku-Rivers state) was arrested in an Hotel in Kaduna state.’
The spokesperson further stated that: “All the suspects (allegedly) confessed to the crime admitting to have impersonated several prominent citizens and made over ₦20,000,000 from their criminal acts within the last six months before they were arrested.
“Investigation is being intensified to arrest the other suspects at large while those arrested will be charged to court on completion of investigation.”
Items recovered from them include 14 assorted G.S.M sets, all with sim cards registered with the names of top government officials and other prominent Nigerians.”
