N38m Fraud : Police Arrests Man Impersonating FCT Minister

By Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

Police have arrested a suspect, Terhemba Tsuum, for impersonating the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello and defrauding unsuspecting public of N38 million.

Parading the suspect, FCT Police Command PPRO, Anjuguri Manzah, said that upon report of the matter, an investigation was launched and with the deployment of modern technology, they traced  the suspect to Benue State, where he was arrested and brought to the FCT to face the law.

Manzah assured the public that the FCT Police Command was alive to its responsibilities and would prosecute those carrying out nefarious activities.

In a chat with reporters,   the 39 -year-old suspect confessed to committing the crime.

He confessed ignorance  of the gravity of the offence, even as he also disclosed that he had since refunded almost all the proceeds to his victims, except about N5million, and N1.950 million, belonging to one Mimi, who reported him to the police for failure to return her money.   

According to him, he returned the money because his conscience could not bear it.

Tsuum said he had been living in Abuja for about five years and went into the agent business because things were not going well.

He said he started impersonating the FCT Minister because he thought the public would believe him. 

“I started using the minister’s name because I thought it is the person people would be convinced, not because I have any contact or any dealing with him. I don’t even know him, he doesn’t even know me.”

On how he was able to convince the people to part with their money, the fraudster, who has a Diploma in Theatre Arts, disclosed that as an agent, his job was to connect those who had land to sell with buyers and get five per cent.

He further stated: “I meet them and tell them that I have someone that will help them to get land, so those interested would give me their acknowledgement papers, while some will give me money to get them the acknowledgement papers from Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS).

“Some, I paid and acknowledged that is why I totaled the whole money and said it is N38 million. Some brought their old acknowledgements, so I minuted on the acknowledgements myself as if I am the minister (FCT), just to convince them, but I did not take them (acknowledgements) to anybody because I don’t have any link with anybody in any of the offices who deals with allocating land.

“Everything I did alone. I don’t have any link with anybody. Though I didn’t collect the money at one time, people were paying me one after another at different times,” Tsuum confessed.

When pressed further to give names of possible collaborators, he said: “What I am telling you, I am not lying. The condition I am in now it is better I tell the whole truth. I had not been in this business throughout my close to five years’ stay in Abuja, I started it in October, last year, while I met Mimi around December, 2017.

Speaking on his mode of operation, the suspect displayed a list reflecting all payments collected.

“This paper you are seeing here, nobody paid me a dime that is listed here. To God who made me, I sat alone and wrote this so that I will use it to hoodwink people to pay me. If I am lying, God should do with me anything He wishes as far as this list is concerned”.

On how he gets land application forms, which he uses in deceiving his victims, he revealed that one Emmanuel ThankGod, a fellow agent in Abuja, whom he claimed he doesn’t know more than his name, collected about two of the forms for him.  

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