TheNewsGuru

Tag: impersonation

  • Nigerian TikToker jailed for impersonation

    Nigerian TikToker jailed for impersonation

    A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, has sentenced Oluyide Mide to six months imprisonment for impersonating a person named Crystal on the social media platform TikTok and fraudulently obtaining 500 dollars.

    Justice Emeka Nwite handed down the verdict, following Mide’s guilty plea to a one-count charge of impersonation and fraud. Consequently, Nwite found Mide guilty as charged and convicted him

    He sentenced Mide to six months’ imprisonment with an option of a N200,000 fine. The judge had convicted and sentenced Mide after listening to both counsel.

    The prosection counsel, Maryam Ahmed, had told the court that the defendant committed the offence sometime in 2025 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the court.

    According to the charge, Mide fraudulently impersonated one Crystal via www.tiktok.com and in that assumed character, obtained the sum of 500 dollars from the victim through Opay Digital Services Ltd.

    “You thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 22 (2)(b) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015, as amended,” the charge stated.

    Prosecution counsel urged the court to convict and sentence the defendant accordingly.

    Mide’s counsel, Mr KUN Osemeha, pleaded for leniency, describing him as a first-time offender who had shown genuine remorse for his actions. He urged the court to temper justice with mercy and to grant the defendant an option of fine.

  • Goodluck Jonathan sends important message to Nigerians over social media account impersonating him

    Goodluck Jonathan sends important message to Nigerians over social media account impersonating him

    Former President Goodluck Jonathan has warned Nigerians to beware of a fake Instagram account impersonating him.

    In a statement titled “Beware of fake Instagram account impersonating H.E. Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan” on Thursday, his media aide Ikechukwu Eze said the handle @goodluck_ebelejonathan has been deceitfully posting content, some of which were copied from Jonathan’s verified Facebook page.

    “Our attention has been drawn to a fraudulent Instagram account operating under the handle @goodluck_ebelejonathan, which is falsely impersonating former President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan,” the statement read.

    “This impostor account has been deceitfully posting content, some copied from Dr. Jonathan’s Facebook page, while pretending to represent the former President.

    “We wish to emphasise that Dr. Jonathan does not operate any Instagram account. The media and members of the public are strongly advised to disregard, avoid sharing, or promoting any content originating from this fake profile.”

  • Impersonation: Nigerian Army hands over dismissed soldier, 3 others to police

    Impersonation: Nigerian Army hands over dismissed soldier, 3 others to police

    The Police Command in Lagos State says the Nigerian Army has handed over  a dismissed soldier and three others to it over alleged impersonation.

    The command’s spokesman , SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the handing over on Sunday.

    Hundeyin said that an  Army Captain (name not mentioned), attached to Dodan Barracks, Obalende ,brought the four suspects (names withheld), to Onikan Police Division on Friday at about 5.01 p.m.

    He said that all the suspects were of no fixed addresses, adding  that one of them was dismissed from the Army in 2016.

    Hundeyin said the suspects were caught  wearing camouflage, T-shirt and face cap of the Nigerian Army.

    “On interrogation, it was discovered that the suspects frequently committed various crimes using military accoutrements and they equally used them to beat check points.

    ” Efforts are on to ascertain how they got the army uniforms. Investigation is ongoing, ” he said.

  • Instagram ‘big boy’ jailed for impersonation

    Instagram ‘big boy’ jailed for impersonation

    A Federal High Court in Lagos, on Thursday, sentenced a man, Ndifreka Edem (a.k.a BNH Nguyen) to 12 months imprisonment for impersonation on Instagram.

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned Edem before Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke on a count charge of cyber crime.

    Edem pleaded guilty to the charge.

    Following his guilty plea, the court reviewed the facts of the case, with the prosecutor, Mr Abbas Muhammed, tendering  pieces of evidence in support of the case.

    The court admitted them as exhibits.

    The prosecutor then urged the court to  convict Edem based on his guilty plea and evidence before it.

    The judge accordingly convicted Edem.

    Defence counsel, Mr O.E. Odetoki, prayed the court to be lenient on his client in sentencing him.

    The judge sentenced the convict to  12 months in prison but gave him  an option of N1.5 million fine to be paid into the Federal Government’s consolidated account.

    In addition, the court ordered that the convict should carry out 100 hours of community service.

    The court also ordered him to forfeit to the Federal Government,  the device he used in committing the offence.

    EFCC had said that Edem committed the offence on Dec. 7, 2023.

    It said that the convict falsely held out himself on Instagram as “BNH Nguyen” with intent to secure financial instruments to himself, knowing that the representation was false.

    The commission said  that the offence contravened the provision of Section 22(3 of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention) Act of 2015.

  • Police bust fake EFCC operatives terrorizing Asaba residents

    Police bust fake EFCC operatives terrorizing Asaba residents

    Five fake operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC,  have been arrested by the Delta State Police Command for terrorising members of the public in Asaba, the state capital.

    The command’s spokesperson, DSP Bright Edafe, disclosed this on Friday in Asaba.

    He said, “Following a series of complaints received from members of the public, especially from the youths, alleging that EFCC operatives usually break into their houses at night, forcefully arrest them, take them away and extort huge sums of money from them.

    “On November 16, 2022, the command received another complaint from a victim, whose house was stormed at night by the syndicate. They gained entrance into the compound by scaling the fence, broke into his apartment, forcefully abducted and took him away in a white Toyota Hiace bus.

    “The victim stated that on getting to Head Bridge, the boundary between Delta and Anambra State, they forcefully collected his phones from him, other valuables worth N3,700,000, made cash transfer of N2,500,000 and told him that they would come for him again.

    “Five other victims also reported to the command and made statements on how they were robbed of about N15,000,000. It became clear that it is the activities of hoodlums, pretending to be EFCC operatives.

    “The Commissioner of Police, Muhammed Ali, directed the Command Decoy Squad to investigate, ensure that they are arrested and brought to book. In compliance with this directive, on November, the Commander CP-Decoy ASP Julius Robinson, acting on credible information trailed them to their hideout in a hotel located in Asaba.”

    He said the hoodlums were hibernating in the hotel planning their next operation when police swooped on them and arrested five suspects including leader of the syndicate, Prince Allison, 29.

  • Ekiti DJ arrested for impersonating singer, Portable

    Ekiti DJ arrested for impersonating singer, Portable

    A disc jockey (DJ) known as Famotemi Toluwani Timothy, who is based in Ekiti State, has been arrested for allegedly impersonating hip-hop singer, Habeeb Okikiola, popularly known as “Portable”.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that DJ Timothy was arrested by operatives of the Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday, September 29, 2022.

    Timothy, a native of Igede-Ekiti in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Ekiti State, allegedly opened an Instagram account with the name “Zazoo Omolalomi Portable” where he claimed to be the singer.

    Investigations showed that the suspect met one of his victims, Adebayo Adedimeji Lukman, running a Club in Offa, Kwara State, on social media and introduced himself as “Portable” and bargained to perform at the Club for the sum of N1 million naira.

    The suspect requested that 80 percent of the money be paid before the event, and Adebayo reportedly paid the sum of N790,000 (Seven Hundred and Ninety Thousand Naira) into a bank account number provided by the suspect.

    However, the self-styled artiste, “ Portable” did not show up at the event, which was held on February 18, 2022 and eventually blocked all means of communication with the suspect.

  • JAMB confirms arrest of 50 professional examination writers for impersonation

    JAMB confirms arrest of 50 professional examination writers for impersonation

    Fifty professional examination writers who sit for candidates in the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) have been arrested, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has revealed.

    The board said the impostors were arrested nationwide following its intelligence gathering mechanism.

    JAMB’s Spokesperson, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, disclosed this in the agency’s weekly bulletin.

    Benjamin identified some of the professional examination writers as Master’s degree holders, postgraduate and undergraduate students of various tertiary institutions in the country.

    He said the professional writers connived with owners and operators of its Computer Based Test Centres (CBT) to carry out the crime by engaging in multiple registrations where the fingerprints of the main candidates are captured side by side with that of the impostors.

    “The board has uncovered a group of professional examination writers who take the exams for prospective candidates for a fee.

    “As a result of intelligence gathering, over 50 of such writers have been arrested across the country.

    “The modus operandi of these UTME syndicates was confirmed when one of the kingpins was apprehended recently,” the bulletin said.

    He said the culprit confessed to have done multiple registrations of his biometric along with several other candidates with the intention of sitting for them and collecting huge sums of money from the candidates.

    “This Development is the fundamental reason for the decision of the board to revalidate all biometrics of candidates that have taken the board’s examination in recent times.

    “This timely action would enable the board to not only fish out and dismantle these registration cartels and racketeers but also bring them to book along with their collaborators,” the bulletin said.

    Also, Fabian said 1, 236, 316 candidates out of the 1.8 million registered has so far taken the examination.

    “A total of 1,886,238 UTME candidates are expected to sit nationwide. And, 1,236,316 candidates have so far taken their examination,” it added.

  • Someone has been impersonating me for months- Ramsey Nouah cries out

    Revered Nollywood actor, Ramsey Nouah has cried out over being impersonated. The actor wrote on his Instagram that an impostor has been working in his place for months.

    He also added that his colleagues and others have failed to notice. Nouah said he is in Dubai and the impersonator is currently on a movie set in Lagos.

    According to him: ”Someone has been impersonating me for months now! I don’t understand how my colleagues and others did not find this out asap and continued to work with the fraud. I am out here in #Dubai but he’s currently on a movie set in Lagos filming with a director that I thought knew me well!

    THIS IS CRAZY! Concerted efforts are underway to apprehend whoever the impostor is and bring him to feel the full weight of the law. Updates soon! “.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Bh5v7xinbPy/?taken-by=ramseynouah

     

    This is not the first time a Nigerian actor will cry out over being impersonated. Mike Ezuronye had also been impersonated in time past.

    The actor’s impersonator was reportedly arrested on Monday, March 26, 2018. The suspect has been identified simply as Osiagbovo who hails from Benin, Edo State.

     

    Gospel singer, Tope Alabi, ‘I never bathed same time with any male…’

     

  • Photo: Police arrest woman, 37 for impersonating Aisha Buhari

    The FCT Police Command on Monday paraded one Aisha Bello for allegedly impersonating President Buhari’s wife, Aisha Buhari.

    The police said the woman used the President wife’s name to solicit for contracts from members of the public who are mostly head of government agencies.

    Speaking during the parade, the FCT Commissioner of Police, CP Sadiq Bello, said: “Today we have a special suspect to present before you. She is Aisha Muhammed Bello, 37 years old, mother of four from Plateau State.

    She was arrested for impersonating the wife of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Aisha Muhammadu Buhari.

    “She is used the name of the First Lady to solicit for contracts and financial assistance from unsuspecting members of the public, especially heads of government establishments.”

    “The suspect was arrested by police operatives on 10th January, 2018 at Fadama 111 Project Office, Maitama, Abuja, following a report that she contacted the Coordinator of the Project that she wants assistance in her capacity as the First Lady.

    “Upon her arrest, a phone and a newly acquired Airtel SIM card registered in the name of Aisha Buhari, First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, was recovered from the suspect.”

    “Police had commenced moves to contacting other people she must have duped in the name of the First Lady. At the end of investigation, she will be charged to court. ‘Members of the public are hereby advised to always be double sure of who they are dealing with before they part with their property or money.”

    The 37- year- old single mother of four said: “I am a businesswoman. I sell clothes. I was arrested after I requested for a contract in the name of the wife of the President.

    “I only sent text messages in the name of the wife of the President for contracts. I only did it once and it is because I lost the money for business and I didn’t have money to do my business.

    I registred the Sim at Durumi area of Abuja,” she said.

  • Police arrest 23year-old undergraduate for impersonation, bank fraud

    The Enugu State Police Command said it arrested a suspect involved in impersonation of bank customers and beneficiaries of transfers from abroad.

    The Police Command’s Spokesman, Mr Ebere Amaraizu, said in a statement on Sunday, that the 23 year-old suspect was an undergraduate from Amaigbo in Nwangele Local Government Area of Imo.

    According to him, the suspect went to a new generation bank located at Okpara Avenue in Enugu metropolis to cash the sum of 800 U.S. dollars purported to have been sent to him from someone abroad.

    “When he was asked by the bank staff to provide proof of identification, he presented an identity card bearing the name of One Eleng Okpara Peter likely to be the authorised beneficiary.

    “He smartly superimposed his passport photograph on that of the likely beneficiary and presented himself to be Eleng Okpara Peter.

    “When he could no longer establish his innocence, it was obvious that he was trying to withdraw money sent to another person by impersonating the beneficiary,’’ he said.

    According to him, the suspect earlier claimed that the money was sent to him as a gift by a female Facebook friend.

    Investigation further showed that the account number he presented as his belonged to someone else.

    The command advised members of the public to be security conscious and not disclose their bank details and vital personal information to the public.

     

    NAN