By Dennis Okechukwu
The Nigeria Police Force has arrested a 32-year-old man, Nwogba Arinze, for allegedly impersonating the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Prof. Segun Aina, and defrauding members of the public.
Arinze was accused of using the JAMB Registrar’s name, photograph and official position on WhatsApp, Truecaller and LinkedIn to convince unsuspecting victims that he could facilitate government and JAMB contracts.
The suspect was arrested on August 27 in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, following a petition by the JAMB Registrar and an investigation conducted by the Police Intelligence, Operations and Investigation Unit.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, disclosed this on Wednesday while parading suspects at the Force Headquarters in Abuja.
According to Iniedu, the investigation took police operatives to the Federal Capital Territory, Nasarawa, Anambra and Ebonyi states.
He said Arinze and his alleged accomplices demanded between N900,000 and N3 million from victims as processing fees and purported payments to influence officials of the Ministry of Education.
Iniedu said the suspects allegedly created and operated a telephone number bearing the name, image and official position of the JAMB Registrar on various social media platforms without authorisation.
He explained that the investigation followed the approval of the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, for the probe of the petition.
According to the police spokesman, investigators have established a prima facie case against Arinze involving alleged criminal conspiracy, online impersonation, identity theft and online fraud.
He said the alleged offences contravened relevant provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015, as amended.
However, during the investigation, police investigators made a further discovery involving a deceased person.
The police recovered an Access Bank ATM card belonging to the late Edeh Chimezie Benedict, whose account number was allegedly used to receive proceeds from the fraudulent activities.
An Airtel SIM card registered in the deceased’s name was also recovered, alongside his burial poster.
Iniedu identified another principal suspect, Nnabuife Nwekpa of Onitsha, Anambra State, as being at large, adding that the Force had commenced moves to declare him wanted.
The police spokesman warned Nigerians to be cautious of fraudsters who impersonate public officials to solicit money from members of the public.
He stressed that the JAMB Registrar does not award contracts or request payments through WhatsApp or other social media platforms.
“All official JAMB communications are conducted only through verified channels,” Iniedu said.
He urged anyone who receives suspicious messages or requests for payment purportedly from the JAMB Registrar or other government officials to verify the claims through official channels before making any payment.
The Force also appealed to victims and members of the public with useful information about the fleeing suspect to report to the nearest police station or any verified police channel.
Iniedu said Arinze would be arraigned after the completion of the necessary administrative procedures.
He added that the Inspector-General of Police remained committed to deploying intelligence and technology to combat cybercrime, protect Nigerians and prevent criminals from exploiting the identities of public officials and institutions for fraudulent purposes.