Date: 2017-01-25

The police in Kwara State have arrested a 37-year-old man, Owolabi Victor, over advance fee fraud allegations.

Victor was arrested for allegedly parading himself as a staff of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Offences Commission. According to the police, the suspect, with the intent of defrauding the management of Queen Elizabeth Secondary School in Ilorin, falsely paraded himself as an audit staff of the ICPC.

Owolabi, it was learnt served the school with a letter in which it was alleged that the management was involved in corrupt practices.

The suspect had approached the management and accused it of mismanaging funds, claiming that the state Commissioner of Education, Dr. Ahmed Aminat, had been informed of the development.

"It was later discovered that the letter head of the agency was forged and the school informed the Ministry of Education of the development. The school then invited the fake ICPC officer over and with the assistance of security agents he was arrested and handed over to the police for further investigation," a source said.

Confirming the suspect's arrest, the state Commissioner of Police, Olusola Amore, said, "The printer, who forged the ICPC identity card and letter head has also been arrested".

The suspect, however, blamed the "harsh economic situation" for the crime, adding that he's actually a first time offender as that was his first attempt at committing fraud.

"I was jobless and I have to cater for my family. That's why I made an attempt and it's my first attempt at crime. I worked as a tutorial teacher in Omu- Aran but had to quit because of irregularity in salary payment.

"I relocated to Ilorin last December. I didn't have anything doing; so, I decided to impersonate ICPC staff.

I went to the school to inform them of an account auditing exercise, hoping that they would beg me not to expose any fraud and be given bribe.

I was later invited to come for the auditing, not knowing that it was a set up, and I was arrested. I graduated from Offa Polytechnic, where I studied Business Administration," Victor added.