How Man Swindled Job Seekers To The Tune Of N400 Million

The employment scammer arrested by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, for duping job seekers under the guise of recruitment into the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS; Nigeria Customs Service and the NSCDC, among others, have confessed committing the crime after defrauding applicants to the tune of N403,624,992.

A statement by the spokesman for the corps, Okeh, Emmanuel, yesterday, said: The suspect, Mr. Michael Ogun, on whom several documents, including fake appointment letters of various services including that of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, were retrieved from his mobile phones and laptop, at the time of arrest, admitted committing the crimes during the interrogation at the weekend.

Other details of incriminating things associated with him include 50 bank accounts with different names in different banks and over N955, 996,893.50, passed through the accounts as proceeds from the fake recruitment exercise as well as other crimes involving money laundry which he also owned up to.

Ogun, who earlier denied the allegation and claimed he was set up, admitted that he was only trying to put up a defence before the press and for his family members and friends to see him as being innocent of the charges against him.

However, he did not know the extent to which the case will go. To him, he thought he will just have his way by denying the offence.

Impersonator also nabbed

Similarly, the corps was said to have arrested one Mr. Patrick Thomas for illegal possession of a firearm in Awka, Anambra State.

According to the state commandant, Mr. Ben Dikuro, the suspect was arrested at Bridge head, Onitsha with 25 calibre pistol while parading himself as a personnel of the corps to extort money from unsuspecting members of the public.

Patrick Thomas has never served in the corps and the public should be aware of such fraudsters by reporting them to the corps for appropriate action to avoid denting the image of the service, Dakuro said.

In the same vein, CallistusNnebife, a 38-year-old man from Ebenebe in Awka North and a graduate of Electrical Engineering was arrested at Amansea with 26 gallons of adulterated diesel (AGO) meant to be supplied to a rice and garri processing mill in Awka.

Nnebife, who admitted his offence, gave an excuse that he did not know that apart from operating licence for filling station that peddlers of petroleum products are also required to obtain licence.

The Commandant General of the corps, Dr. Ade Abolurin used the opportunity of the arrests to warn applicants to beware that people with sinister motives like Michael Ogun are still within the society parading themselves as employment agents to deceive desperate job seekers by promising them recruitment into the corps and other services.

Therefore, applicants should note that the corps is not recruiting, no replacement, whether under ground, small or above the ground as it is often being referred to, Abolurin said.