Police arrest fake Interior Minister over $10,000 fraud

Prince Momoh Enema, member of a notorious fraud syndicate, which specializes in defrauding prominent citizens using the name of the Minister of Interior, Abdulraman Dambazau, has been arrested by the police in Abuja.

The Guardian gathered that the 40-year-old suspect, who is a native of Olamaboro Local Council of Kogi State, is currently being interrogated by operatives of the Inspector General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team (IRT), after he and members of his syndicate pretended to be the Minister of Interior and his Chief of Staff.

They attempted to defraud the Seriki of Gwandabawa area of Sokoto State through a phony contract deal amounting to $10,000.

It was gathered that the leader of the syndicate, who is currently on the run and was identified as Dr. Usman, had on April 2017, contacted the Seriki, and identified himself as General Abdulraman Dambazau, the current Minister of Interior.

He was said to have informed the Seriki that President Muhammadu Buhari has decided to reward the Seriki and his people at Gwadanbwa Sokoto State for their support during the 2015 presidential elections and has decided to employ 20 native of Gwadanbawa into the Nigeria Police Force and the Customs Service.

He was also said to have instructed the Seriki to send the names and Curriculum Vitae (CVs) of the 20 persons through the office of the Chief of Staff to the Minister of Interior and the sum of N45,000 on each applicant, an amount he said would be used in procuring training kits for the applicants.

The Seriki was said to have sent the 20 names, CVs and the sum of N1 million through the said Chief of Staff and a date was given to him when the applicants would commence training.

The Guardian gathered that few weeks later, the fake minister called the Seriki and informed him that the Ministry of Interior was about issuing contracts for the supply of equipment to the Nigeria Police Force, Customs Service and other para-military organizations under the ministry, worth N3 billion.

The fake minister then asked the Seriki to send his company’s profile and the sum of $10,000 to the Personnel Assistant to the Minister. The Seriki at this time became curious and decided to conduct a proper check before committing an amount as huge as $10,000.

He was said to have contacted the Federal House of Representative member representing his constituency, Abdulahi Balarabe Salame, and urged him to verify from General Dambazau, if he had made any contact with him and if he is truly demanding the said sum for contracts.

After confirming that the Seriki has been dealing with fraudsters, Abdulahi urged the Seriki to play along with the suspects. They agreed to lure the fake minister to a location in Abuja where he would be arrested.

The fraudster said he would be sending his Personal Assistant to pick the money but when the said PA got to the location, the police arrested him.

( Guardian)