Musician and Gang Arrested for Impersonating Tinubu & Defrauding Victims (Photo)

Posted by Odinaka on Tue 01st Dec, 2015 - tori.ng

An upcoming musician has disclosed why he decided to impersonate the former governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu. He was arrested along with another impostors who defrauded unsuspecting Nigerians via Facebook.

The suspects paraded in Lagos

Former traffic warden and four members of his gang have been arrested for allegedly impersonating the national leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and Commissioner of Police, DSP Fatai Owoseni.

The suspects include; Lucky Adieze, 24, John Ogunnowo, 23, Obinna Collins, 21 and Afoke Adetolani, 58.

DSP Fatai Owoseni who paraded the suspects yesterday, said their arrest followed tip-off from the public on how criminals were using the Facebook, a social media and police uniform to dupe people.

Lucky Adieze who impersonated Tinubu said:

"I am a hip hop musician and I opened a Facebook account with Tinubu’s picture to get more fans to listen to my music on the social media. I think it was the person who gave me his account number that made police to find me and arrest me two weeks ago.

"My stage name is Dusk to Dawn. Yes, I chatted with a lady, but I never had any intention to defraud her. I asked her for money. When the woman wanted to pay the money into my account, I informed my friend.

"I begged him to allow the money to be paid into his account because I still had problem with my Bank Verification Number (BVN). We were at the bank to withdraw the N100,000 when police arrested us."

Adetolani, a former traffic warden inspector known as yellow fever, who impersonated DSP, said;

"I was dismissed because my colleague who stole a tyre from a parked exhibit vehicle in police station said that I planned it with him. I tried to defend myself but they insisted that we did it together and both of us were dismissed.

"To help myself and my family, I decided to do something smart. I first bought this uniform and later bought the DSP rank and ID card and uniform for N15,000. I was dismissed from Surulere division in 1984. They framed me up and dismissed me.

"I bought a bus for commercial purpose but my offence is that I hanged this uniform in my bus so that police, LASTMA, KAI, road safety and other law enforcement agents will not disturb me on the road. You can see that the name I used is my real name. I was stopped at Oshodi by police and I told them that I am a police DSP and they paid me my compliment but told me that they still wanted to investigate me.

"It was that investigation and interrogation that gave me up. I tried to bribe them yet they refused and told me that police have changed and that it was no more business as usual. But one thing is clear; I did not rob with it. I only used it to get respect and easy passage whenever I meet law enforcement agents. Please tell police to forgive me, it is due to the hardship I was passing through after my dismissal."