By Deborah Nnamdi
The Ondo State Police Command has arrested a man who allegedly posed as a senior military officer and defrauded unsuspecting victims of over ₦1.3 million in a fake job recruitment scheme.
In a statement on Sunday, the Command identified the suspect as Abdullahi Saliu, who was apprehended at Top Quality Hotel while parading himself as a Colonel in the Nigerian Army.
According to the Command’s spokesperson, DSP Ayanlade Olushola, Saliu tricked two women, Oshoade Janet and Daisi Remilekun Joy, into parting with N1,377,000 under the guise of securing employment for their sons in the Nigeria Customs and Immigration Services.
“The suspect obtained the sum of One Million, Three Hundred and Seventy-Seven Thousand Naira, which he converted to his personal use,” the police said.
Further investigations revealed that Saliu had been operating across several states, with victims traced to Edo, Delta, Kogi, and Ondo. He was also said to have impersonated officers of other security agencies, at different times presenting himself as a naval officer, a senior immigration officer, and even a customs officer.
Described as a notorious fraudster, Saliu has long been on the police watchlist for job racketeering and impersonation. He has since been arraigned before Magistrate Court 1 in Ondo State for prosecution.
The Command said his arrest forms part of a broader clampdown on fraudulent activities in the state.
“This feat represents one of the several cases successfully cracked by the Ondo State Police Command in recent times,” DSP Olushola noted, while reaffirming the Command’s commitment to safeguarding residents and ensuring fraudsters face justice.
