By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
The Ondo State Police Command has arrested a man who posed as a senior military officer and allegedly defrauded victims of over ₦1.3 million in a bogus job racket.
In a statement titled “Ondo Police Command Arrest Fake Army Colonel Over ₦1.37m Employment Scam”, the command said operatives apprehended “one Abdullahi Saliu ‘m’ of Top Quality Hotel, who notoriously paraded himself as a Colonel in the Nigerian Army.”
According to the Sunday statement shared by the Command on X, signed by the command’s spokesperson, DSP Ayanlade Olushola, the suspect “deceitfully lured and defrauded two unsuspecting victims, Oshoade Janet ‘f’ and Daisi Remilekun Joy ‘f’, under the false pretext of securing employment opportunities for their sons in the Nigeria Customs and Immigration Services.”
Police said Saliu “obtained the sum of One Million, Three Hundred and Seventy-Seven Thousand Naira (₦1,377,000), which he subsequently converted to his personal use.”
Investigators described him as a long-time fraudster whose activities spanned multiple states.
“Investigations further revealed that the suspect’s operations cut across state lines, with victims traced to Edo, Delta, Kogi, and Ondo states.
“He has long been on the command’s list as a notorious job racketeer, known for impersonating senior officers of different security agencies,” the statement added.
The fake officer allegedly posed not only as an army colonel but also “presenting himself variously as a naval officer, a senior immigration and customs officer, among others, all in a bid to defraud unsuspecting citizens of their hard-earned money.”
The suspect has been arraigned before Magistrate Court 1 in Ondo State for prosecution, the statement noted.
The command said the arrest was part of a wider crackdown on fraud.
“This feat represents one of the several cases successfully cracked by the Ondo State Police Command in recent times,” it stated.
While reaffirming its resolve to protect residents, the police hailed its leadership and the Inspector-General of Police.
“The command seizes this opportunity to reaffirm its commitment to protecting the lives, property, and interests of all residents, while ensuring that fraudsters and criminally minded elements are brought to justice,” DSP Olushola said.
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