The Nigeria Police force says it has cracked and arrested some suspects who parade themselves as journalists to gain access to high profile events and subsequently steal phones, monies and other valuables.
The suspects Musa Auwalu, Kolawole Akinbode, Umar Their Abba,Absullahi Muhammed and Muhammed Sale were caught with Thirteen (13) Expensive Phones and fake Journalist ID Cards from a non existing media houses
The gang leader Musa Auwalu was said to have built a house in Kano from the huge foreign currencies he stole during a wedding of a Very Important Personality last year in Abuja.
The Inspector General of Police’s Intelligence Response Team trailed and arrested the suspects after complaints of stolen phones from important personalities who attended a prominent wedding in Abeokuta, Ogun State on the 8th July, 2017 which was the wedding ceremony between the daughter of ogun state governor Ibikunle Amosun and the son of Abike Dabiri-Erewa where the phone of Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi was stolen.
The suspected fake journalists were arrested in different states of the Federation namely: Ogun, Edo, Abuja and Kano States. The exhibits listed above were recovered from them.
The House built in Kano State from the huge foreign currencies the gang leader stole during a wedding of a Very Important Personality last year in Abuja has been identified. The suspects confessed to the crime and admitted to the various criminal roles they played in the commission of the offence.
The suspects confessed further that they specialize in impersonating as Journalists in order to gain access into venues of VIPs events/occasions to steal Handsets, Money and defraud high profile persons and unsuspecting members of the public at the venues of events in major cities in the country.
The force public relations officer Moshood Jimoh says Investigation is being intensified to arrest other suspects at large saying all suspects will be arraigned in court on completion of investigation.
