A 35-year-old fish farmer has been apprehended by the Lagos State Police Command has apprehended a 34-year-old fish farmer for allegedly impersonating the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, and defrauding people.
Police authorities alleged that Victor Kekong forged documents with which he used in swindling unsuspecting victims, mostly foreigners.
Punch reports:
Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, said, “On February 5, 2014, policemen attached to the Area G Command, on stop-and-search duty, accosted the suspect. When his vehicle was searched, incriminating documents were found on him.
“He posed as the IG to dupe a foreigner. He also forged documents in order to authenticate his claims. On searching his house, other fake documents were found. The IG’s paper with a letter head, forged signature and name, Federal High Court Certificate of Legality, Central Bank of Nigeria cheque worth $200,000 and identity card of the Federal Civil Service Commission in Abuja were found on him.
“Others are a Ministry of Tourism contract award certificate, tribunal supreme change of ownership and Internal Revenue Certificate of tax clearance.”
Braide said the suspect, who had also posed as an American, with a fake United States passport, duped a foreigner of $10,000.
The suspect however denied the allegations.
The indigene of Cross River State said he had not swindled anyone, but was only planning to do so shortly before his arrest.
He said, “I am a small scale fish farmer. The documents were printed from my e-mail account and not found at my home as alleged by the police.
“I posed as Philip Aguiree on Facebook and used a US passport I found on Google.com to make people believe that I was the owner of the passport. It was the only way I could attract foreigners.
“One day, a man contacted me saying he had a contract in Nigeria and that he needed to know if some documents were authentic. He then sent those particular documents to me. He promised to pay me N200, 000.
“It was my intention to dupe him, but I was arrested before I could do so. I have not made any money from fraud.”
In a related development, a 55-year-old graphic artist, Raymond Fasakin, has been arrested by the police for being in possession of counterfeit $15,000.
Braide said the suspect, who was operating in Alade Market, Ikeja, Lagos State, was arrested following a tip-off.
She said policemen attached to X Squad were able to arrest him on January 28, 2014.
“We got a tip-off that there was a man in Alade that specialises in printing fake dollars. Men of the X Squad went there and recovered fake dollars worth about N2, 580,000.
“Some CFAs were also recovered from him. He said he bought the dollars from someone on the Lagos Island. He will be charged to court.”
The suspect, however, denied being a counterfeiter.
He said a friend, who was into printing of designs on shirts, asked him to purchase the dollars.
He said, “I am not a criminal. A friend of mine, Alhaji Bello, said he wanted to print some T-shirts and would need some fake dollars. He gave me N2,000 and told me to buy the dollars. I bought them from Yusuf on Lagos Island. I was arrested almost immediately. I believe I was set up.”
