The Lagos State Police Command
has arrested a man for allegedly impersonating a Nigeria Customs Service officer and orchestrating a N1.8 million shipment scam by claiming he could clear goods purportedly sent from the United States.
It was gathered that the suspect allegedly deceived the complainant into paying N520,000 as part payment for the purported clearing and delivery charges before becoming unreachable.
The suspect was tracked down and arrested following an investigation into allegations of obtaining money by false pretence, impersonation and stealing, which was launched after the victim filed a petition with the police.
Following the report, Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Fatai Tijani, directed the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Yaba, to intensify its investigation to ensure a thorough probe of the case.
Investigation into the allegations was being handled by the Swift Enquiry Team (SET) under the supervision of the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the department, Mr Dayo Akinbisehin.
According to a police source, the case began on July 15 when the suspect contacted the complainant claiming that his goods shipped from the United States of America had arrived in Nigeria.
“To make the claim appear genuine, the suspect forwarded a shipping label and a tracking number before demanding N1.8 million as delivery and clearing charges for the consignment.
“Believing the representation to be genuine, the complainant agreed to pay the amount and made an initial payment of N520,000, with the balance to be paid upon delivery of the goods.
“The suspect became unreachable immediately after receiving the part payment and stopped responding to the complainant’s telephone calls, ” he said.
The source said that further investigation revealed that the suspect also falsely presented himself as a clearing agent to give credibility to the scheme.
He said that a purported Nigeria Customs Service identity card No bearing the suspect’s name, along with another identification card portraying him as a serving Superintendent of Nigeria Customs with Service No 34549 was recovered.
“The items were allegedly used to impersonate public officials and facilitate the fraud, ” he said.
The police said that the suspect was lured to appear to collect the outstanding balance of the money, he was arrested on arrival at the agreed meeting point by police detectives who had laid an ambush.
According to him, investigations are ongoing to determine whether the suspect has defrauded other victims using a similar method.
He said that the suspect would be charged to court after the conclusion of the investigations.
