The Enugu State Police Command has arrested a 26-year-old suspect, Mr Somtochukwu Franklin, for allegedly faking and using a popular philanthropist’s Facebook account to defraud people.  

This is contained in a statement by the command’s spokesperson, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, on Wednesday in Enugu.  

Mr Ndukwe said that the arrest was made by police operatives serving in New Haven Police Division on December 3 at about 12:30 p.m. when they acted on credible information.

 According to him, Franklin uses the Facebook account name and details of Chief Emmanuel Okoh, popularly known as “Okwuluora” to defraud unsuspecting members of the public.

 “A preliminary investigation has revealed that the suspect confessed to the crime, as he created the fake “Okwuluora” Facebook account in January 2023 and has since been using it to solicit funds from his over 33,000 followers.

 “The suspect further stated that he usually waits for the actual “Okwuluora” to make a post, soliciting support for persons in situations requiring financial assistance.

“Upon sighting such posts, he immediately copies and posts them on the fake Facebook account and changed the beneficiary’s account details to his, thereby fraudulently obtaining funds from unsuspecting donors,” he said.

 The police spokesman noted that by doing so, the suspect had received funds running into tens of thousands of naira from donors.

 He said that the state’s Commissioner of Police, Mr Kanayo Uzuegbu, ordered the State Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department to conduct a further thorough investigation and timely prosecution of the suspect.

 Mr Ndukwe said: “The commissioner, therefore, enjoins victims of the fraudulent act to report to the State CID and volunteer their statements.

 “The commissioner also called on the citizenry to be wary of social media impostors and their fraudulent activities, especially this yuletide.”

(NAN)