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 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 Punch 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.
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