The Criminal Investigation Department, Lagos Command, has arrested a 55 year-old man, Oluwole Akande, for allegedly impersonating the Police Commissioner of Railway Command, CP Yetunde Longe, and defrauding an 80-year old man of N250 million.
Longe confirmed the arrest to NAN in Lagos on Wednesday.
Longe said that she got a call from a former Nigeria Police Force (NPF) spokesperson, CP Frank Mba, on the matter.
She said the victim’s wife called Mba to intimate him of alleged plan by one CP Longe to demand for millions of naira from her husband so as to drop a petition on her table against him.
“CP Frank Mba replied the wife of the victim that he knows CP Yetunde Longe cannot make such mischievous demand; he promised to call her and verify and get back to the woman.
“CP Frank Mba called me to relate the matter and I confirmed that the information was totally wrong. I said there was no petition of such before me and I don’t even know the victim.
”It was at this time the State CID Panti was informed to trace the suspect and he was apprehended. He confessed to have impersonated me,” Longe said.
The commissioner said he will be charged to court soon.
Speaking with NAN, the suspect, Oluwole Akande, who claimed to live at Ojokoro area of Lagos, said he started the business of impersonation in 2022, stressing that CP Longe was the only person he had used.
Akande said after he discovered his victim, he decided to frame him up on issue he knew nothing about by calling to inform him of a petition concerning an illegal business the victim was involved in.
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He claimed that the victim would not take him serious except he impersonated a high ranking police officer, which led to using CP Yetunde Longe’s name.
The suspect said he never knew CP Longe before, stressing that he got her name and rank through the media after she was decorated in Abuja with her husband same day as Commissioner of police.
Akande claimed he called the victim and assured him that if he was willing to pay N1.5 million, he would drop the case, which the victim promised to pay.
He claimed he was the only person involved in the crime, stressing that he knew the impersonation would dent the image of CP Yetunde Longe but that he never knew it would backfire.
“I just wanted to obtain the victim. I thought if I give the man stories, he will fall for them and just pay me and I will escape.
“I sent several messages to him. I used two sim cards to carry out the crime,” he said.
Further investigations by NAN into the case revealed that after the N1.5 million was paid, the suspect through other means allegedly collected more money from the victim amounting to N250 million.
It was also gathered that the victim reportedly sold two of his houses and filling station to meet the demands of the suspect until his wife contacted CP Frank Mba, which led to his arrest.
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