Police has announced the arrest of five people who have been posing as Journalists and using their easy access to dignitaries to steal cellphones and other valuables.
The police said that the suspects were arrested in different states of the Federation namely: Ogun, Edo, Abuja and Kano States and that various exhibits were recovered from them.
A statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Jimoh O. Moshood, said that the house built in Kano State from the huge foreign currencies the gang leader stole during a wedding of a very important personality last year in Abuja has been identified.
He said that the suspects have confessed to the crime and admitted to the various criminal roles they played in the commission of the offence.
“The suspects confessed further that they specialize in impersonating as Journalists in order to gain access into venues of VIPs events/occasions to steal Handsets, Money and defraud high profile persons and unsuspecting members of the public at the venues of events in major cities in the country.”
Jimoh Mooshood said that the Inspector General of Police’s Intelligence Response Team trailed and arrested the suspects after complaints of stolen phones from important personalities who attended a prominent wedding in Abeokuta, Ogun State on the 8th July, 2017.
The police spokesman named the suspects as Musa Auwalu (Gang Leader), age 43, from Nasarawa local government area in Kano state; Kolawole Akinbode, age 50, from Ogun Central local government area in Ogun state; Umar Tahir Abba, age 53 from Mubi local government in Adamawa state; Abdulahi Muhammed, age 55 from Gudunfulani local government area in Bauchi state and Muhammad sale, age 60, from Ngogo local government area in Kano state.
He said that 13 expensive phones, fake Journalist Identity Cards from a non existing media houses and other items were recovered from them, adding that the gang leader has built a house in Kano from the huge foreign currencies he stole during a wedding of a Very Important Personality last year in Abuja.
“Investigation is being intensified to arrest other suspects at large. All suspects will be arraigned in court on completion of investigation.” [myad]
