Operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, have arrested two brothers for allegedly impersonating the corps’ FCT Commandant, Olusola Odumosu and other citizens on Facebook.
The FCT NSCDC boss disclosed this on Tuesday while briefing newsmen at the Command’s Headquarters in Abuja.
NAN recalled that in Sept. 2023, Odumosu had alerted the public of a fraudulent Facebook account opened in his name with the intent to defraud innocent citizens.
He said that reports from citizens who had been defrauded in his name led to the manhunt for the suspects.
Odumosu said further investigation led to the arrest of one Henry Odep, 34, and his younger brother Emmanuel Odep, 23, both from Cross Rivers.
“The effort became necessary to distance myself from the said Facebook account so that unsuspecting Nigerians would not fall into the hands of these fraudsters.
“Today, I am glad to inform you that the manhunt which began about seven months ago, followed by a well-coordinated covert operation by my men, with the assistance of our counterparts in Delta and Anambra Commands, finally paid off.”
The Commandant stated that Emmanuel, upon his arrest, provided information that led to the arrest of Henry, who was found in possession of the device used to operate the fake Facebook account.
“Emmanuel was the first to be apprehended after being lured to Abuja, and his confessional statement led to the arrest of his elder brother, who incidentally had the phone used to operate the fake Facebook account on him at the point of arrest in Asaba, Delta.
“Emmanuel confessed that his brother, Henry Ushie Odep is a Yahoo boy and was the one who created the fake Facebook account bearing Olusola Odumosu immediately after he was appointed as the FCT Commandant in August 2023.
“He admitted to being the one withdrawing all the money sent to the Opay account by his brother through POS machines until the Command officers arrested him,” he added.
According to Odumosu, the brothers have confessed to duping unsuspecting victims through various means, including creating fake profiles of high-ranking officials.
“He also disclosed that he is the same person behind the defrauding of so many people through a fake Facebook account opened in the name of late Helen Amakiri, eight years ago (2016), then an Assistant Commandant-General.”
The Commandant said there were a few accounts in which they impersonated and duped people within the last eight years.
According to him, two other individuals, Amadi Chisom and Mrs Okafor Evelyn, initially apprehended alongside the principal suspects, have been granted bail after investigations revealed they were not involved in the cyber fraud.
