The Lagos State Police Command on Saturday said it has arrested one Friday Aguibosim for allegedly impersonating a former Commissioner of Police, Mr. Kayode Aderanti, who has been transferred to Abuja.
According to a police source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the 27-year-old Aguibosim was arrested on August 12 for opening a Facebook account in the name of the former Lagos commissioner of police.
“The suspect opened a Facebook account in the name of the former Lagos CP and requested policemen who wished to go on a peace keeping mission to pay money into a particular Fidelity Bank account.
“The account was traced to the suspect at Ihiala, Anambra State, before he was arrested,” he said.
The source said Aguibosim had an accomplice, one Emmanuel Ekene, who also operated another Fidelity Bank account, but the police said they were still on his trail.
The suspect, however, told the News Agency of Nigeria that it was his cousin, one Victor Uzogba, who received money through the account, which he later learnt was fraudulent.
“My cousin said I should give him my account number that somebody wants to deposit money into the account and I asked him what about his own account.
“He said he had no ATM card for his account and so I gave him my account. Later that day somebody paid N30,000 into the account. I withdrew the money with my ATM card and gave it to him.
“The police later came and arrested me after tracing the account to me. I have been trying Uzogba’s telephone line since then but it is not reachable.
“It was when I was arrested that I was told that he has a Facebook account which he is also using to defraud people,” the suspect said.
The source said the police were making efforts to arrest his accomplice currently at large.