The Intelligence Department of the Nasarawa State Police Command has arrested one Yusuf Idris for allegedly using the name of the state Commissioner of Police, Shehu Umar Nadada, to defraud job-seekers.
In a statement on Sunday, the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Ramhan Nansel, said the suspect is from Obi Local Government Council of the state, but resides at Ombi I, Lafia.
The police, in the statement said the 33-year-old suspect was arrested “for name-dropping the Commissioner of Police Nasarawa State Command, Shehu Umar Nadada.”
Mr Nansel also stated that the suspect, using the commissioner’s name, “defrauded unsuspecting job seekers of their hard earned money under the guise of securing them a job in the Nigeria Police Force and Nasarawa State Hospital Management Board respectively.”
According to the statement, he defrauded one Monday Akinde of N300,000 and asked him to bring another job seeker, in turn for an employment slot in the police for N500,000.
The statement noted, “Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect had fraudulently obtained the sum of three hundred thousand naira from one Monday Akinde ‘M’ of Obi LGC (#300.000.00 ) with a promise to secure a job for him at Nasarawa State Hospital Management Board; and thereafter trick the same victim into bringing someone seeking recruitment into the Nigeria Police Force where he stated that the commissioner of police has given him a slot, and he’s willing to sell it for five hundred thousand naira.”
He said the police arrested the suspect when he deceitfully brought the victim to the command’s premises to prove to his victim the legality of his crime, while exhibits and the N300,000 were also recovered from him.
He stated, “In a bid to convince his victim of the authenticity of his claims, the suspect lured the victim to the state police command headquarters and left him at the entrance of the command. The suspect then entered into the command headquarters and was lurking around before he was consequently arrested, and the aforementioned confessions were made. A search was immediately conducted on him where two fake promotion letters of people working at Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital which he claimed to have gotten on Facebook and a cash sum of three hundred thousand naira (#300.000.00) were recovered from him as exhibits.”
The police commissioner called on those who have fallen victim to the suspect to lodge complaints, urging the public to be wary of employment racketeers and be mindful of sensitive information about themselves they post on social media.
He however advised those planning to commit similar act to turn a new leaf, warning that anyone caught would not be spared.