Christopher Oji
The Zone 2 Command, Onikan, Lagos has stepped up manhunt for a man who is allegedly impersonating Vice President, Yomi Osinbajo’s lawyer and personal assistant.
The suspect, Ikechukwu, also allegedly paraded himself as lawyer and personal assistant to the All Progressive Congress (APC) leader, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, and other prominent Nigerians.
The police alleged that he used his fake identity to swindle his victims of huge sum of money.
A senior police officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity as he was not supposed to speak to the press, said the case was being investigated by the monitoring unit of Zone 2 Command, led by SP Toafiq Tijani.
According to the police, the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) petitioned the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG), Shehu Adamu, on the alleged atrocities committed by Ikechukwu and he directed the monitoring unit to invite the suspect.
The police officer said: “The suspect claimed that he was a lawyer and personal assistant to many prominent Nigerians, including Osinbajo, Tinubu and Aregbesola. And because of the names of the important personalities he claimed that he was their personal assistant, many people were deceived into believing that he was real. He used the opportunity to swindle the unsuspecting victims of several millions. The suspect also perfected his dubious business by acquiring a police orderly that escorted him anywhere he went. With the police orderly by his side, he was able to convince his victims further that he was genuine.
“However, the bubble bust when he collected money from many people in Ikorodu area of the state to file civil cases for them, but failed to deliver.
“One of his victims, who he allegedly swindled of N1.4 million, reported him to the chairman, NBA, Ikorodu branch, Prince Adetayo Ladega, who investigated and found out that Ikechukwu is not a lawyer. The NBA chairman immediately petitioned the AIG zone 2, who ordered the monitoring unit to investigate the matter.
“The monitoring unit served Ikechukwu a letter of invitation but he refused to honour it and the unit went further to procure a warrant of arrest and also to search his house. When the unit went to his house, Ikechukwu took to his heels and escaped by jumping the fence. “Following the action of the suspect, the police decided to conduct a search in his house. During the search, many incriminating documents were discovered.
“Some of them were written documents where he claimed he was PA to Osinbajo, Tinubu and Aregbesola. The question is, why should he take to his heels and go into hiding if he is a lawyer? His police orderly has been withdrawn and we have declared serious manhunt for him.”
Zone 2 police public relations officer, Hauwa Idris Adamu, confirmed it. He said: “We are investigating a case of conspiracy, forgery, impersonation, false information and obtaining money by false pretense against Ikechukwu, who claimed to be a lawyer and PA to some prominent Nigerians.”