Police IRT arrest two for impersonating Kaduna government officials, defrauding Chinese of N30.6 million

Two suspects, Rita Waziri and Adamu Garuba, who pose as executive and legislative members of the Kaduna State Government, respectively, have been arrested for defruading contractors who intend to procure road construction contracts from the state government.

Said to be members of a notorious syndicate, the suspects were arrested by the Inspector General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team, IRT, recently.

They were said to have defrauded a Chinese Engineer, identified simply as Su, of the sum of N30.6million under the guise of helping him procure a road construction contract from the Kaduna government.

It was gathered further that Su, who is based at the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, was approached in July 2018 by one Mayowa, a member of the syndicate who is currently serving a jail term at the Kirikiri Maximum Prison, over a separate fraud case, intimating him that the Kaduna State Government was searching for contractors to rehabilitate a 14 kilometer Road at the Kagoro area of the State.

Reports have it that Mayowa, in his bid to convince Su, brought in Garuba, who he identified as Honorable Ibrahim, a serving member of the Kaduna State House of Assembly and the Chairman of Budget and Planning Committee of the House.

Garuba was said to have informed Su, that he would have to register his company first, with the Kaduna State Public Procurement Authority and he would have to pay the sum of N1.6million for the process.

Su paid the sum of N1.6million, after which Mayowa and Garuba invited him to the Kaduna State Government Secretariat, Kaduna State, where they took him to a makeshift office which had pictures of members of the syndicate as representative of the Kaduna State Government.

Waziri, whose picture also hanged in the office as a Kaduna State Government representative, played the role of the Commissioner of Works and Housing, while other member of the syndicate, identified as Captain, presently at large, presented himself as Commissioner of Finance.

The sum of N28million, was taken from Su, after negotiation of the contract and a fake contract awarding letter was issued to Su. But few months after the letter was issued to Su, he became suspicious of the deal and he contacted Garuba complaining and demanding for a refund of his money.

Garuba was alleged to have lured Su, to Kaduna State, where he was kidnapped, and the sum of N2million collected from him ransom, before he was release.

Su, was said to have reported his kidnap and the fraudulent activities of Garuba and his syndicate to the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu. The IGP directed operatives of the IRT headed by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, to investigate, track and apprehend the fraudster.

After weeks of investigation by a team of IRT deployed into the Kaduna State Metropolis, Waziri who was later found to be the sister-in-law of Garuba was arrested. She led the police to arrest Garuba.

Police sources disclosed that after Garuba and Waziri were arrested, they confessed to the crime. Garuba said he got the sum of N15million as his share which he used in building houses around choice areas in Kaduna State.

He also added that he gave the sum of N200,000 to Waziri as her own share. Giving details of his sojourn as a fraudstar, 61-year-old Garuba a native of Tagoma, in Jamal Local Government of Kaduna State, said: “I went into fraud seven year ago and it was one late Otunba Obanla from Lagos State, who introduced me into the business.

I met Otunba in a hotel in Kaduna State, where he was drinking and we became friend. He taught me how to defraud people looking for contracts and my first job was in 2013, where I defraud one Alhaji Sani of the sum of N200,000.

I took the money from Sani, under the guise of helping to process the registration of his company at the Kaduna State tender board, where he intended to procure road contracts.

“In 2015, I defrauded one Alhaji Tijani, of the sum of N400,000, who also wanted to procure contract from the Kaduna State Government. I also defrauded a Lebanese national of the sum of N7million.

But this time, I wasn’t the only person that executed the job and I got N1.5million as my share from the deal. I was arrested later by policemen from the Kaduna State Police Command and after my release, policemen from the Federal Anti-Robbery Squad Adeniji Adele, in Lagos State came for me again and I was made to repay the money I got from the deal to the Lebanese man.

“ In July 2018, Mayowa, brought the Chineseman’s job that he needed a road construction contract. We collected N1.5million first from the man for the registration of his company and then we took the man to Kaduna State Government House and we used the reception of an office to execute the job and we were four that did the job.

Waziri, who is my elder brother’s wife acted as the Commissioner of Works and Mayowa enlarged Waziri’s picture and hung it beside that of the Governor and the President, making it look like the office of the Kaduna State Government. “

Speaking further, Garuba, who is married with four children, added: “ There is this Captain, Mayowa, brought in and he played the role of the Commissioner of Finance Kaduna State, while I acted as the Honorable member of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, but Mayowa was the facilitator.

We told the Chinese man, that the Governor wanted him to rehabilitate a 14 kilometer at Kagoro area of Southern Kaduna and he was to construct 7 kilometer first, which will cost N2billion and we are going to get five percent of the total cost as our share immediately he is mobilized for the contract.

“ We also showed him contracts agreements between his company and the Kaduna State Government, then the man paid us the sum of N28million and he stopped paying us more money when he realized that he had been defrauded.

I got N15million as my share because I was the person that organized the office that was used for the job and Mayowa got N13million because he has other people including the Captain to settle. I was the person that settled Waziri, and I gave her N200,000.

“ I used the rest of my money to develop my landed properties in GRA Kaduna State, I also built a three bedroom flat in the same GRA.

I want to quit this business and I am ready to sell all my houses so that I will raise money to pay back to the Chinese man. I feel very ashamed of myself that I got myself into this mess now that I have a grandson and I don’t want him to know that I am a fraudster.”

Waziri, also a native of Kagoma area of Kaduna State and a trader, said she got herself into the fraud because her brother in-law didn’t inform her it was a crime.

According to her; “ I am a trader and I sell white yam floor, I am married with a child and my child is 7-year-old. I have only school certificate. I have never done this before, it was my brother in-law that got me involved into this business.

My brother in-law is the younger brother to my husband and he was the person that took me to where I snapped the picture at Banawa shopping complex in Kaduna State. That was also where they enlarge the photo that was used at the office where they duped the Chinese man.

“ I was also present at the office when they came and I introduced myself as the Commissioner of Works and after we exchange pleasantries I told them that I will not be staying around that I will be leaving for another meeting and I left in Garuba’s car to my house.

Later that day Garuba called me and gave me the sum of N200,000 and he didn’t tell me that the money was from the deal I did for him and I thought the money was just a gift. I didn’t know that the Chinese man was defrauded of the sum of N30.6million.”