The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has apprehended the masterminds behind a fraudulent Facebook account impersonating its Commandant, Olusola Odumosu.
This was disclosed on Tuesday during a press briefing at the command’s Headquarters in Wuse Zone 5, Abuja.
The commandant had in September 2023, alerted the public in a press release of the existence of a fake Facebook account opened by an individual in the name of Odumosu, FCT Commandant.
Speaking during a press briefing, Odumosu stated that the operation which commenced seven months ago, led to the arrest of Henry Ushie Odep, 34, and his younger brother Emmanuel Ushie Odep, 23, both from Cross Rivers State.
“The effort became necessary to distance myself from the said Facebook account so that unsuspecting Nigerians would not fall into the hands of the fraudsters.
“Upon this discovery, I gave a directive to the intelligence and investigation team and the Anti-Fraud unit to unravel the person(s) behind the fake Facebook account.
“Today, I am glad to inform you that the manhunt which began about 7 months ago, followed by a well-coordinated covert operation by my men, with the assistance of our counterparts in Delta and Anambra State Command, finally paid off as we have in our custody the masterminds behind the fraudulent Facebook account.”
The commandant stated that Emmanuel, upon his arrest, provided information that led to the arrest of Henry, who was found in possession of the device used to operate the fake Facebook account.
He further noted that Investigations revealed a history of online fraud spanning years, with the duo confessing to duping unsuspecting victims through various means, including creating fake profiles of high-ranking officials.
Henry also confessed to introducing his younger brother to cybercrime to alleviate financial pressures, and the duo operated under multiple aliases and platforms to carry out their schemes. Their illicit activities involved using accounts on digital payment platforms to receive funds, with no traditional bank involvement.
He explained how “One of the suspects, Emmanuel Ushie was the first to be apprehended after being lured to Abuja, made a very useful confessional statement that led to the arrest of Henry Ushie Odep, his elder brother, who incidentally had the phone used to operate the fake Facebook account on him at the point of arrest in Asaba, Delta State.
“Emmanuel confessed that his brother, Henry Ushie Odep is a Yahoo boy and was the one who created the fake Facebook account bearing Olusola Odumosu immediately after he was appointed as the FCT Commandant in August 2023.
“He admitted to being the one withdrawing all the money sent to the Opay account by his brother (Henry) through POS machines until he was arrested by the officers of the FCT Command in Abuja.
“On his part, Henry Ushie Odep informed that he started online fraud in 2016 and he is the one who lured his younger brother, (Emmanuel Ushie) into the fraudulent act because he was disturbing him for (small) funds. He confessed to duping a lot of unsuspecting Nigerians of different sums of money under different guises in cyberspace.
“He also disclosed that he is the same person behind the defrauding of so many people through a fake Facebook account opened in the name of late Helen Amakiri, eight years ago (2016), then an Assistant Commandant General.”
Odumosu however noted that this is one amongst many other accounts they have impersonated and duped people in the last eight years.
Also, two individuals, Amadi Chisom, and Mrs. Okafor Evelyn, initially apprehended alongside the principal suspects, have been granted bail after investigations revealed their lack of involvement in the cyber fraud.
“Investigation revealed that they operate Opay, moniepoint, and Palmpay accounts to receive money from unsuspecting persons, but no bank account with traditional commercial banks. They also used two accounts belonging to one Victory Chinagorom, who according to them never knew they were into cyber fraud.
“According to Henry, his friend, Chibuike Okorie introduced him to cyber crime. The said Chibuike is currently in Kuwait as he has relocated from Nigeria.
“The following people, Amadi Chisom (F) 31years old and Mrs. Okafor Evelyn (F) 24 years whose names came up in the course of the investigation and arrested alongside the principal suspect had been granted bail, pending when they would be required in the course of prosecution. This is because findings revealed they had no knowledge of the crime committed by the duo of Emmanuel Ushie and Henry Ushie,” Odumosu said.
Items seized from the suspects included; Moniepoint Pos machine (1), Opay Pos machine (1), Tecno spark 10 phone (1), Tecno pop 8 phone (1), and Infinix phone (1)
The command helmsmen stated that investigations are ongoing, with the NSCDC reaffirming its commitment to prosecute the suspects in accordance with the law.
The Commandant warned cybercriminals that their activities would not go unpunished. He stressed the collaborative efforts of security agencies in combating cybercrime and ensuring the safety and security of the public.
He added that “We want to use this opportunity to warn all cybercriminals who specialise in defrauding people of their hard-earned money to find legitimate trade to do because, sooner or later, the long arm of the law will catch up with them,” adding that the eagle-eyed officers and men of NSCDC are everywhere “You can only run, you can’t hide.
“This arrest should serve as a deterrent to others in this illicit business that crime doesn’t pay. The NSCDC FCT Command, in collaboration with other security agencies, will continue to launch its dragnet into fighting any form of criminality that’ll contravene peace, security, and any other government’s interest for the people.”