Intelligence team arrests IGP’s online impersonator

Egba chief in court for defrauding Obasanjo of over N105m in land deal
• Police begin investigation into UNN student’s suicide

A twenty nine-year-old internet fraudster, Ekperebuike Akadonye, who specialized in impersonating the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, on the internet, has been arrested by the police for defrauding a Saudi Arabia-based medical doctor, Hassan Alkahallaf, attached to the Department of Urology, at the Security Forces Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, of the sum of $10,000.

It was gathered that the Imo State-born suspect, who is currently being interrogated by operatives of the Inspector General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team (IRT), was said to have contacted his victim, via an email address igofnieria@outlook.com purportedly belonging to the IGP, claiming that President Muhammadu Buhari, in his fight against corruption, had directed the IGP to make a refund to victims who had been defrauded by Nigerians in the past.

Alkahallaf, who had previously been duped by some Nigerian internet fraudsters, was said to have replied Akadonye’s emails believing he was the real IGP of the Nigeria Police Force and he was eventually made to pay the sum of $10,000 in several installments before he could get back his lost funds.

The victim was made to pay money to hire a lawyer who would represent him since he wasn’t based in Nigeria as well as opening bank accounts and obtaining ATM cards. When the suspect was no longer forthcoming, Alkahallaf contacted the real IGP through the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Nigeria and made his complaints known on how he has been duped twice by Nigerians.

The IGP swung into action immediately and directed his operatives at the IRT to trail and apprehend the fraudster. It was gathered that Akadonye was trailed to his hometown in Isiala-Mbano in Imo State where he was arrested. The police also recovered a mobile telephone and laptop used in carrying out the fraud.

The suspect disclosed that poverty led him to the crime, explaining that he was formerly a trader but Imo State government demolished his shops. “I am a trader and I have my shops in Mbano, but I lost them when they were demolished by our governor and since then I had to look for what to do.”

In a related development, an Egba chief, Salimon Abiodun Ajayi, popularly known as ‘Rantipe’ was yesterday, arraigned before a Chief Magistrates’ Court sitting in Isabo, Abeokuta, Ogun State for allegedly fraudulently obtaining the sum of N105 million from a company, Alarab Properties, a subsidiary of Obasanjo Holdings Limited (OHL).

Ajayi, a successful businessman who is also the Balogun of Ijemo land in Egbaland and owner of the popular Rantipe Petroleum, was arraigned on a three-count charge bordering on forgery, fraud and stealing.

The Police Prosecutor, Sunday Eigbejiale, told the court that the accused had fraudulently forged Sidipon Community Power of Attorney and consequently obtained the sum of N105 million from the above company in the sale of 67 acres of land at the Sidipon village.

Moving the motion for bail application, the counsel to the accused, Akolade Afolabi, urged the court to admit his client to bail in line with constitutional provision, since the offense did not carry capital punishment.

Ruling on the bail application, the presiding Chief Magistrate, Magistrate Oriyomi Sofowora, admitted the accused to bail of N250,000 with two sureties in the like sum. He, thereafter, adjourned the case till Tuesday, December 20.

In another development, the Enugu State Police Command has commenced full-scale investigations into an alleged suicide involving a victim identified as Tobechukwu Okeke, which happened last Sunday.

According to the command spokesman, Ebere Amaraizu, the deceased was said to be a final year student of Agricultural Economics Department at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), who hailed from Awgu in Enugu State.

He was found hanging with a blue rope tied to his neck on the ceiling fan hook inside his room lifeless.
The police said it recovered from the scene a suicide note from the deceased to his friends, relations, linguistics department of the university, bidding them goodbye.

Excerpts from the note reads: “I got it all wrong when I rejected Jesus. God gave me wisdom, God gave me all I needed to succeed. I rejected him. My fellow gamblers I am sorry, my fellow lions I am sorry. My family, I let you all down amongst others.”