A look at 65-year-old Akpan Joseph , will never pass him for
a fraudster, owing to his seemingly calm disposition. But he is currently
cooling his heels at the dreaded Lagos State Police Special Anti-Robbery Squad,
SARS, in Ikeja. Reason? He was reported to have gone to one of the Ilorin branches of a first
generation bank,on January 7, 2015, posing as one of the account
holders , who had come to transfer the sum of N1 million from his supposed
account , into two separate accounts.
While, the authentic account holder, a 35 year-old
business man identified as Chinedu Mba, was murdered four months earlier by
unknown gunmen in his apartment in Gindiri Jos, Plateau state.Back in the banking hall in Ilorin, Joseph was asked to sit down while the
transaction was being processed.Unknown to him, the cashier who apparently
suspected something was amiss, had called in the police. Joseph was reportedly
arrested and later transferred to the Lion building division in Lagos.
Thereafter, he was transferred to the SARS.On further checks, the late Chinedu Mba’s phone was also
discovered from Joseph.In this interview with Crime Guard, he claimed to have been hired by a man
whose name he simply gave as Benson, to make the transaction, with a promise to
be given N200,000 at the end. He further stated that the said Benson also
handed the decease d’s sim card to him.
Hear the Akwa-ibom state born :
“ A man called Benson , whom I met about ten years ago while
I was a security man at Tin Island ports, took me to Ilorin for a business
transaction.
He did not give me full details of the business transaction but he promised to
give me 20% of the amount . The way he described the business made the
transaction look so easy and without complications .
We travelled to Ilorin on January, 5, 2015 and lodged in
Henry George hotel for two days.
Thereafter, Benson gave me a filled fund transfer form
before we proceeded to Union bank where he asked me to submit the
form, posing as the account holder. The filled form was an instruction to
transfer N500,000 each into two separate GTB accounts with name Victoria Abikele.
But to my surprise, the cashier looked intently at me and back to the computer
system before him. Before I knew it, I was arrested . And when I turned to look
for Benson, he was no where to be found”
Journey to MTN to retrieve decease SIM card
It was after I was arrested that I got to know that the owner of the account
was murdered. I am not the killer. I was in possession of the sim because
Benson went to MTN office in Ilorin to retrieve the number of late Chinedu,
while I waited for him in the car. On his arrival, he handed the phone to me.
I didn’t kill the late Chinedu. I didn’t even know that he
was dead. Right now I feel very stupid for my action because I never
thought I would get into this kind of trouble. I wish Benson would be arrested.
He has answers to the questions at hand.
I strongly believe that an insider in the bank gave Benson the information that
Chinedu was dead, that is why he had all the details about the
deceased.
Ah! what will my family say? I told my wife in the village
that I was going to Seme to buy second hand clothes. I didn’t tell
her I was travelling to Illorin for a business transaction”, he said in an
emotional laden tone.
On his part, the bereaved father , Mr Merclenious Mba, a
native of Enugu state, described the whole scenero as a movie, wishing he would
wake up to discover it was one after all.
The 57 year-old father of nine, said the family received with shock the news of
the death of his son, Chinedu, on September 9, 2014, by gunmen who
stormed his apartment.
“Immediately I received the news, I requested that his
remains be brought home which they did and he was buried according to the
traditional rites in my place.
After his burial ceremony I sent some family members to his house in Jos to
bring back his properties, only to discover that he had about N6.5 million in
his union bank account.
Discovered fraud
We went to the bank with all necessary data and the bank
agreed to transfer the funds to Obinna, my younger son’s account. But on
arriving the bank with Obinna, we were made to understand that someone had been
making withdrawals from my late son’s account, as a withdrawal of N1 million
had been made, by one Victoria Abikele, on January 5, 2015, leaving
out N5.5 million. We were advised to go to Abuja , where the person that was
using my late son’s number was traced to.
From Abuja, we came to Lion Building division ,Lagos, where two men ; a father
and son alleged to have been caught with my late son’s phone were brought
before us! We were told that they had been impersonating Obinna and I”
To ascertain the true identities of Mr Mba and his son
Obinna, the Police at Lion building reportedly requested for the number of the
deceased. Obinna was said to have called it out and when the number was
dialled, the phone with the impostor rang.
At that point, the bereaved father who was infuriated, attempted to hit Akpan
Joseph, the impostor, but he was prevented by the police.
Trying hard not to betray his emotion, Mr Mba said:
“ All I want is justice. I want in-depth investigation, that would lead
to those involved in the death of my son. They must be brought to book.”
Via.Vanguard
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