The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission [EFCC] has arraigned one Azeez Yakubu Afolayan, who impersonated the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service [NCS], Col. Hameed Ali (retd).
Afolayan was caught and arraigned defrauding desperate Nigerians looking for jobs on a four-count charge.
He was arraigned before Justice M. Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court for executing a jab scam and collecting money from victims under false pretence.
A staff of the Customs Service, Hasaan Garba Muhammed had petitioned EFCC, accusing Afolayan of defrauding innocent Nigerians, seeking employment into the Service. He had so far defrauded them of about N1, 000, 000 (One Million Naira) only.
The charge reads: “That you, Yakubu Azeez Afolayan, between the months of November 2018 and January 2018 in Ilorin, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with the intent to defraud, obtained the gross sum of N267,000 (Two Hundred and Sixty-seven Thousand Naira) only from one Usman Janet Opeyemi through your UBA account number under the false pretence that you are capable of securing employment for her son with the Nigerian Customs Services; the representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006, and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.”
He pleaded “not guilty” to the charge.
Justice Abdulgafar ordered that the defendant be remanded in Oke-Kura Prison, and adjourned hearing of the bail application to March 19, 2019.