The Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested one Usman Akogun, an alleged fraudster who has been posing as an officer of the commission and defrauding victims under the pretext that he could help them procure a soft landing regarding their cases with the Commission.

A statement by the Head, Media and Publicity, EFCC, Dele Oyewale, made available to the media in Ilorin on Thursday, said that Akogun, who hails from Babanla in the Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, was arrested in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, on March 27, 2024.

“The bubble burst for the scammer when the Ilorin command of the commission received intelligence regarding his criminal activities. The intel was to the effect that a certain Akogun Rasheed Usman, who claimed to be an officer of the EFCC, obtained money to the tune of N.5m (five hundred thousand naira) from one Mrs Khadizah Abdullahi, a parent of two suspects held in custody by the commission over offences bordering on internet fraud.

“The intel, which was found to be credible, led to the arrest of the suspect, who claimed to be a staff member at the Library Department of the Kwara State College of Education, Oro, on Thursday, March 27, 2024, at the General Hospital, Taiwo-Oke area, Ilorin.

“Mrs Abdullahi said she became agitated when the suspect failed to have her two sons, held in custody by the EFCC released on bail to her as promised.

“Firstly, she said Akogun and her went through the same security screening while at the EFCC office, a situation that made her wonder why it should be so if truly he was an officer of the commission as he claimed! She also noticed that while in the EFCC office to perfect the ‘phony bail’, the self-styled EFCC staff neither received nor gave salutes or compliments to fellow officers, as compliments are a tradition in all security and law enforcement agencies.

“She added that rather than having her sons released to her, the suspects took her to a location outside the office to receive the said sum of N.5m and demanded more money to perfect the bail.

“It was in the process of collecting an additional N200,000 that the long arm of the law caught up with him,” the statement said.

“The suspect will be charged to court upon conclusion of the ongoing investigations,” the EFCC added.