Fake colonel arrested for ₦1.37m job scam in Ondo

Boye Oyeyemi –

The Ondo State Police Command has arrested a man who allegedly posed as a senior army officer to defraud unsuspecting victims of over ₦1.37 million in a bogus employment racket.

Police spokesperson DSP Ayannlade Olayinka Olushola said the suspect, identified as Abdullahi Saliu, was tracked down by operatives after he allegedly paraded himself as a colonel in the Nigerian Army and promised jobs in the Nigeria Customs and Immigration Services.

Saliu was said to have collected a total of ₦1,377,000 from two women, Oshoade Janet and Daisi Remilekun Joy, with a false assurance that their sons would be recruited into the agencies. He allegedly diverted the money for personal use.

Investigations, according to the police, showed that the suspect had been on the Command’s watchlist for years, with his activities spanning Edo, Delta, Kogi and Ondo States.

He was described as a notorious impostor who had also posed as a naval officer, as well as senior personnel of Immigration and Customs, in previous scams.

DSP Ayannlade disclosed that the suspect had already been arraigned before Magistrate Court 1 in Akure for prosecution.

Commissioner of Police, CP Adebowale Lawal, hailed the breakthrough as another major stride in the command’s fight against crime, warning that fraudsters would have no hiding place in Ondo State.