TheCable

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) says two lovers have been arrested for allegedly impersonating Muhammad Nami, its executive chairman, on Facebook.

Abdullahi Ahmad, director of communications and liaison department of FIRS, announced this in a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday.

Ahmad said the suspects were arrested on Monday for allegedly impersonating Nami to defraud Nigerian job-seekers.

He said the female suspect who claimed to be a graduate of Imo State University, awaiting call-up for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme, and her lover are currently in the custody of the FCT police command in Abuja.

According to him, the male suspect who claimed ownership of a failed boutique business, confessed that he started impersonating the FIRS chairman on Facebook since March 2020.

Ahmad said the male suspect also admitted to creating a fake account with the name Alhaji Tanko as a director of FIRS.

“He (male suspect) confessed that he opened two false Facebook accounts in the name of the FIRS chairman and the fictive Alhaji Tanko and populated one of the accounts with pictures of Mr Nami and the other with the internet-generated pictures of an innocent person to stand for Alhaji Tanko,” the statement reads.

“Through an elaborate scheme, the male suspect proceeded to represent himself to unsuspecting job applicants whom he directed to one Kayode, who in reality is the female suspect and his girlfriend.

“Kayode would then redirect their victims to the fictitious Alhaji Tanko, who in reality is the male suspect and the mastermind of the crime.”

Ahmad said a team from the FIRS intelligence and investigation unit nabbed the duo and handed them to the police following a complaint by their victims.

He said the male suspect had confessed that he charged as much as N350,000 per victim.

The FIRS spokesperson urged members of the public to beware of fraudsters.

“The suspects also confessed to have impersonated the Head of Service of the Federation to defraud job seekers in the past,” it reads.

“They also confessed that the FIRS chairman knew nothing about their fraudulent activities as they have never met or had any kind of communication with Nami.”