The Nigeria Police Force has arrested one Rakiya Musa, female, for defrauding her victims of N3.2 million, while posing as an officer of the Nigerian Customs Service in charge of Public Auction Unit at Tincan Island Port, Apapa, Lagos.
The Police went after Rakiya following a petition filed by one Josiah Kashim Utenwojo and Dominic Okoh Henry to the Assistant Inspector General of Police Zone 2 Command, Onikan Lagos, on April 12, 2023.
The Zonal Police Public Relations Officer, Zone 2 Command Headquarters, SP Hauwa Idris Adamu disclosed this in a statement on Saturday.
According to the statement, Rakiya lived in the Nigeria Air Force Mess in Apapa for three months, thereby making her victims believe she is a Customs officer.
“Upon receipt of the petition, the AIG Ari Mohammed Ali fcia, pcs+ immediately detailed some crack Detectives attached to the Zonal Criminal Investigation Department to investigate who immediately swung into action.
“After a detailed investigation, it was revealed that the victims were introduced to Rakiya by one Akinwande Kayode’m’(a retired Naval officer) that she should help them procure Auction Vehicles from the Nigerian Customs Service.
“Based on the foregoing, the sum of Three Million two hundred thousand naira (3,200,000) was transferred to Rakiya’s UBA personal account. Immediately the fund was received, she became incommunicado, and it was then dawn upon them that they had been swindled, all efforts made to reach her proved abortive”, the statement read in part.
However, after a painstaking investigation, she was arrested in Abuja and brought to Lagos for proper investigation.
Customs ID card and Customs Clearing Agent ID were recovered from the suspect.
During investigation, she confessed to have been impersonating as a Customs Officer in order to defraud unsuspecting members of the public and that she has been in the business for over 15 years.
She also claimed to have given the sum of One Million Naira to her boyfriend, Akinwande Kayode from the N3.2 million fraudulently obtained from the victims.
The Police advised Nigerians to be wary of the antics of the fraudster who has been swindling unsuspecting members of the public of their money.
It added that investigation is still in progress and the suspect will soon be charged to court on completion of investigation.
