An imposter identified as Akogun Rasheed Usman, alleged to have been masquerading as an officer of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has been apprehended by authorities.
The Ilorin Zonal Command of the EFCC disclosed that the alleged fraudster had been deceiving victims under the guise of assisting them in resolving their cases with the anti-graft agency.
The bubble burst for the ‘scammer’ following intelligence received by the Ilorin Command of the Commission regarding his illicit activities.
Usman, a native of Babanla in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, purported to be an EFCC officer and succeeded in extorting N500,000 from one Mrs. Khadizah Abdullahi, a parent of two suspects detained by the commission for internet fraud offenses.
According to the EFCC, his arrest on Thursday, March 27, 2024, at the General Hospital in the Taiwo-Oke area of Ilorin revealed his claim of being a staff member of the Library Department at Kwara State College of Education, Oro.
Mrs. Abdullahi, the victim, expressed concern when the suspect failed to secure the release of her two sons, detained by EFCC, as promised.
The commission stated, “Firstly, she said Akogun and her went through the same security screening while at EFCC office, a situation that made her wonder why it should be so if truly he was an officer of the Commission as he claimed! She also noticed that while in EFCC office to perfect the phoney bail, the self-styled EFCC staff neither received nor gave salutes or compliments to fellow officers, as compliments are a tradition in all security and law enforcement agencies.”
Instead of releasing her sons, the suspects escorted her outside the office to receive the N500,000 and demanded additional funds to finalize the bail.
It was during the process of collecting an additional N200,000 that authorities intervened and apprehended the suspect.
The EFCC stated that upon the conclusion of ongoing investigations, the suspect will be charged in court to face the full weight of the law.