KEY POINTS
- EFCC arrests Nuhu Dahiru in Maiduguri.
- N3 million was reportedly recovered from him.
- EFCC warns Nigerians about fake officers.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arrested a man identified as Nuhu Dahiru for allegedly pretending to be an officer of the commission and collecting about N3 million from members of the public.
The EFCC said Dahiru allegedly used the false identity to gain the trust of people and obtain money from them under false claims.
The commission disclosed the arrest in a statement issued on Monday by its Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale.
According to the EFCC, Dahiru was arrested by its operatives from the Maiduguri Zonal Directorate.
He was arrested in the Tashan Bama area, along Bama Road in Maiduguri, Borno State, following information received by the commission about his activities.
The EFCC said it received credible information that Dahiru had been presenting himself as one of its officers and using the false identity to deceive members of the public.
During his arrest, operatives reportedly recovered N3 million from him.
The commission said the money was linked to the alleged fraud involving people who had been deceived by the suspect.
Suspect to Face Court
The EFCC said investigations into the case are still ongoing.
It added that Dahiru would be taken to court after the investigation is completed.
The commission did not disclose the names of the people allegedly defrauded or provide further details on how the N3 million was obtained.
The case is part of the EFCC’s wider efforts to stop people from using its name and identity to commit fraud.
The use of fake EFCC identities by suspected criminals is not a new issue in Nigeria.
In 2024, police in Niger State arrested five people who were accused of pretending to be EFCC officers and abducting two students of Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai.
The suspects reportedly entered an off-campus student lodge and forced the two students into a Toyota Corolla.
They allegedly took five mobile phones from the students and later demanded N10 million as ransom. The demand was reportedly reduced to N500,000.
Other students who became aware of the incident alerted the police. Officers later tracked the vehicle and arrested some of the suspects along Suleja Road by Kwakuti.
Police said the suspects had fake EFCC identity cards. The cards were reportedly produced at a shop in Nyanya, Abuja.
The police also said the suspects admitted during questioning that they had been brought into the operation by informants and that such activities were their means of making money.
A similar case was reported in Lagos in 2019.
Police arrested a 29-year-old man, Emeka Emmanuel, who was accused of pretending to be an EFCC officer and collecting money from people with promises of helping them secure jobs at the commission.
Emmanuel was arrested by officers from the Ojo Police Division after he allegedly collected N51,000 from a man, Olaposi Semiu.
The money was reportedly given after Emmanuel promised to help Semiu’s son get a job with the EFCC.
Another suspected case of impersonation was reported in Adamawa around the same period.
A man identified as Simon Bolki was reportedly arrested after allegedly approaching the Majority Leader of the Adamawa State House of Assembly, Hassan Barguma.
Bolki allegedly claimed to be an officer of the EFCC Intelligence Unit.
He was arrested after reportedly presenting a fake EFCC identity card to the lawmaker.
