NSCDC Apprehends Cyber Criminals Impersonating Government Officials on Facebook

• NSCDC FCT Command arrests two cybercrime suspects impersonating government officials on Facebook, parades them in Abuja
• Suspects, Henry and Emmanuel Ushie Odep, from Cross Rivers State, confessed to online fraud, operated fake Facebook account

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) FCT Command has arrested two suspected members of a cybercrime syndicate involved in impersonating government officials on Facebook. The suspects were paraded in Abuja on Tuesday by the Commandant of the FCT command, Olusola Odumosu.

According to Odumosu, the suspects had created a fake Facebook account in his name to deceive Nigerians and extort money from them. Following the discovery, an intelligence and investigation team, along with the Anti-Fraud unit, was directed to identify the culprits behind the fake account.

After a seven-month manhunt and a well-coordinated covert operation, the suspects were apprehended. They were identified as Henry Ushie Odep, 34 years old, and Emanuel Ushie Odep, 23 years old, both from Cross Rivers State. Emmanuel was the first to be arrested in Abuja, followed by the apprehension of his elder brother, Henry, in Asaba, Delta State, where he was found with the phone used to operate the fake Facebook account.

Emmanuel confessed to being involved in cyber fraud at the behest of his brother, Henry, who created the fake Facebook account immediately after Odumosu’s appointment as the FCT Commandant in August 2023. Henry, on the other hand, admitted to engaging in online fraud since 2016 and luring his brother into the fraudulent activity.

The suspects operated Opay, Moniepoint, and Palmpay accounts to receive money from unsuspecting victims. They also used accounts belonging to an individual named Victory Chinagorom, without the person’s knowledge. Henry revealed that his friend, Chibuike Okorie, introduced him to cybercrime, but Chibuike has since relocated to Kuwait.

The NSCDC Command stated that investigations are ongoing, and the suspects will be prosecuted according to the relevant laws once the findings are concluded.