The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has apprehended a 34-year-old suspect Olusegun Abe, who impersonated as Flight Lieutenant SA Abe.
The impostor, who fully dressed in a Nigerian military woodland camouflage uniform, almost defrauded a family member of a late NAF pilot, Flight Lieutenant Ohai Idonije, who was recently killed by Bokoharam insurgents.
The suspect had earlier approached a sister to the deceased, Mrs Tola Gbadamosi, under the guise of being her late brother's senior colleague at the NAF, and promised to assist the family in claiming the benefits of the deceased. Mrs Gbadamosi is a crime reporter with The Hope.
According to the woman, 'Sometimes late last month, the suspect came to my office to drop his contact number and left instruction that I should call him, claiming to be my late brother's colleague.
I called his phone and he came to meet me in my office, fully dressed in military uniform.
"He gave an impression that he would assist us in processing my late brother's benefits. So, he asked me to hand over the originals of some sensitive documents, which he intended to use in claiming the benefits..
Having suspected a fraudulent intent, the woman contacted the acting Commander of the NAF 209 Quick Response Group (QRG), who sent a team of Intelligence/ Regiment personel from Ipetu Ijesa, Osun State to apprehend the Impersonator.
While speaking with the suspect after being nabbed, he said, "I don't know what came over me. And my pastor had told me he saw handcuffs in my hands, but I did not listen.
On how he got the woman's contact, he said he only saw a message on social media on the demise of Flight lieutenant Ohai Idonije and traced it to Mrs Tola Gbadamosi of The Hope Newspaper, Akure.
The suspect, who said he drove from Abuja to Akure, confessed that he has a friend with the Immigration, who always helped him with fake ID cards, thereby making things easy for him.
Abe who claimed to be a native of Ekiti State, is married with a son and running a Masters programme in Abuja, adding that his family is based in Lokoja, while he did business everywhere.
He claimed to have gotten the military uniform from his uncle, a retired Air force Officer from Ekiti State. According to him, the uncle has travelled out of the Nigeria.
A press statement earlier released by the NAF said that he will be handed over to the Nigeria Police in Akure for further investigations and prosecution.
According to statement state "NAF wishes to reassure the general public that the Service is a professional and disciplined organization that is focused on the discharge of its constitutional responsibilities.
"That we will not condone any act capable of tarnishing its image, either by its personnel or any other individuals. We, therefore, implore the general public and families of deceased personnel to continually direct all enquiries on payment of death benefits to the Nigerian Military Pensions Board, headquarteres in Abuja, and should desist from engaging intermediaries, who are mostly fraudsters and always scavenging for unsuspecting victims to defraud.
The NAF encouraged the general public to immediately report any attempt to defraud them of their loved one's benefits to the Police or any military establishment closest to them.
