The Police headquarters in Abuja has released an array of rich, but fake journalists who have developed a method of robbing guests at events.
The practice which has been on for decades in Abuja and other major cities, also has other criminals posing as photographers, security men, and aides of guests who invade events stealing all manner of things from food to laptops.
A conferee almost ran mad at a five-star hotel in Maitama District of Abuja when his bag containing his laptop, with every information he stored on it was allegedly picked by a photographer.
The shifty behaviour, known to be worldwide, has festered because organisers and journalists unions have been negligent in tracking and dealing with the problem, according to analysts.
But in Abuja, police spokesman, CSP Jimoh Moshood, reeled out a list of alleged suspects in a statement at the weekend.
They include:
i. Musa Auwalu (Gang Leader) ‘M’ 43yrs from Nasarawa LGA of Kano state.
ii. Kolawole Akinbode ‘M’ 50yrs from Ogun Central LGA of Ogun state.
iii. Umar Tahir Abba, ‘M’ 53yrs from LGA Mubi of Adamawa state.
iv. Abdulahi Muhammed ‘M’ 55yrs from Gudunfulani, LGA of Bauchi state.
v. Muhammad sale ‘M’ 60yrs from Ngogo, LGA of Kano state.
Exhibits found on them are;
i. Thirteen (13) Expensive Phones
ii. Fake Journalist ID Cards from a non-existing media houses
iii. The gang leader has built a house in Kano from the huge foreign currencies he stole during a wedding of a Very Important Personality last year in Abuja.
Moshood said further: “The Inspector General of Police’s Intelligence Response Team trailed and arrested the above mentioned suspects after complaints of stolen phones from important personalities who attended a prominent wedding in Abeokuta, Ogun State on the 8th July, 2017.
“They were arrested in different states of the Federation namely: Ogun, Edo, Abuja and Kano States. The exhibits listed above were recovered from them. The House built in Kano State from the huge foreign currencies the gang leader stole during a wedding of a Very Important Personality last year in Abuja has been identified. The suspects confessed to the crime and admitted to the various criminal roles they played in the commission of the offence.
“The suspects confessed further that they specialize in impersonating as Journalists in order to gain access into venues of VIPs events/occasions to steal Handsets, Money and defraud high profile persons and unsuspecting members of the public at the venues of events in major cities in the country.
“Investigation is being intensified to arrest other suspects at large. All suspects will be arraigned in court on completion of investigation.”