The Ondo State Police Command has arrested a man for allegedly posing as a senior military officer and defrauding victims of more than ₦1.3 million in a fake job scheme.
In a statement titled “Ondo Police Command Arrest Fake Army Colonel Over ₦1.37m Employment Scam,” the police said operatives apprehended “one Abdullahi Saliu ‘m’ of Top Quality Hotel, who notoriously paraded himself as a Colonel in the Nigerian Army.”
The statement, shared on Sunday on X and signed by the command’s spokesperson, DSP Ayanlade Olushola, said the suspect “deceitfully lured and defrauded two unsuspecting victims, Oshoade Janet ‘f’ and Daisi Remilekun Joy ‘f’, under the false pretext of securing employment opportunities for their sons in the Nigeria Customs and Immigration Services.”
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The police added that Saliu “obtained the sum of One Million, Three Hundred and Seventy-Seven Thousand Naira (₦1,377,000), which he subsequently converted to his personal use.”
According to investigators, the suspect has been involved in fraud for a long time, with activities spanning multiple states. “Investigations further revealed that the suspect’s operations cut across state lines, with victims traced to Edo, Delta, Kogi, and Ondo states. He has long been on the command’s list as a notorious job racketeer, known for impersonating senior officers of different security agencies,” the statement said.
The fake officer reportedly did not only claim to be an army colonel but also “presenting himself variously as a naval officer, a senior immigration and customs officer, among others, all in a bid to defraud unsuspecting citizens of their hard-earned money.”
The statement added that Saliu has been arraigned at Magistrate Court 1 in Ondo State for prosecution.
The police said the arrest is part of ongoing efforts to clamp down on fraud. “This feat represents one of the several cases successfully cracked by the Ondo State Police Command in recent times,” the statement added.
Reaffirming its commitment to protecting residents, the police praised its leadership and the Inspector-General of Police. “The command seizes this opportunity to reaffirm its commitment to protecting the lives, property, and interests of all residents, while ensuring that fraudsters and criminally minded elements are brought to justice,” DSP Olushola concluded.
