The Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Unit (Taskforce) has apprehended a 40-year-old impostor, Mr. Sunday Otu, for defrauding unsuspecting members of the public with forged Taskforce release orders.
Otu, who resides at No. 51 Agboyi Road, Ketu, and hails from Cross River State, was arrested after collecting ₦60,000 from one Mr. Sunday Daniel, popularly known as Daniel Jackson, under the guise of helping him secure the release of his impounded vehicle.
Daniel, 35, of Tollgate Estate in Ogun State, had been apprehended for driving against traffic when Otu approached him with a promise to use his “connections” to facilitate the release of the vehicle for ₦90,000. The victim transferred ₦60,000 as part payment but later discovered he had been defrauded after being lured to the Agency’s car park in Alausa, where Otu was caught.
As contained in a statement by the Director of Public Affairs, Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, the impostor had forged the release order himself, just as urther findings linked him to a similar fraudulent act weeks earlier, prompting the Agency to place him under close watch.
Upon arrest, Taskforce operatives recovered several incriminating items, including multiple forged release order booklets, a green biro, staplers, and vehicle registration numbers. Otu also confessed to working with an accomplice, identified as Afix, who is currently on the run.
The impostor was arraigned before a court, where he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four years and five months imprisonment at the Badagry Correctional Centre.
Reacting to the development, the Chairman of the Taskforce, CSP Adetayo Akerele, cautioned Lagosians against engaging middlemen or touts posing as Taskforce agents.
“Our enforcement terminates in the court, which is the only civilized way of settling disputes. Anyone who deals with impostors or touts does so at his own peril,” he said.
He urged residents to always approach the Agency directly, warning that criminal elements masquerading as government officials would continue to be exposed and prosecuted.
CSP Akerele also charged Taskforce officers to remain vigilant in the discharge of their duties, assuring that the Agency would not relent in fishing out fraudulent individuals tarnishing its image.
