The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has announced that it apprehended a four-person syndicate for impersonating and blackmailing the Executive Chairman of the Commission, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, in a fraudulent $1 million deal.
The suspects, identified as Ojobo Joshua, Aliyu Hashim, Thomas Oduh, and Paul Ogiji, were arrested on Wednesday, August 28, 2024, at Gimbiya Street, Garki, and Apo Legislative Quarters in Abuja.
According to the EFCC, the alleged fraudsters targeted a former Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mr Mohammed Bello-Koko, claiming that he was under investigation for certain phoney activities during his tenure as MD of NPA.
The syndicate demanded $1 million from Bello-Koko, promising him a “soft landing” from Olukoyede or facing arrest and prosecution.
According to EFCC, upon receiving intelligence regarding the activities of the impersonators, they launched an operation to track and apprehend them.
The four suspects were successfully arrested and are currently in EFCC custody and will be charged in court once investigations are concluded.
It was reported that the official X (formerly Twitter) handle, @officialEFCC, vanished from the platform, leaving its 2.2 million followers in the dark.
The sudden disappearance of the account sparked speculation and concern, mainly as it followed on the heels of threats from suspected internet fraudsters.
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