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brothers arrested for running a fake foundation
Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force have arrested three
brothers identified as Emmanuel Ushie 23; Henry Ushie, 30 and a graduate of Statistics
from Anambra State University and Matthew Ushie, 28, and an OND graduate from
Federal Polytechnic Oko, for running a fake Frank Mba Foundation bank account
with FCMB.
A statement released by the spokesperson of the Force, Frank
Mba, said the trio used a fake Facebook account and then fraudulently operated
bank accounts to defraud innocent Nigerians of their hard-earned monies under
the pretext that the Foundation is raising money to help vulnerable Nigerians
during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Investigations by officers attached to the Intelligence
Response Team (IRT) reveal that the brothers engage extensively and serially in
such frauds and other related cybercrimes.
During the unrelenting manhunt of the fraudsters, Henry
Ushie, an elder sibling to Emmanuel Ushie, was identified as the gang leader of
the syndicate behind the scam. He went underground as his younger siblings also
involved in the crime were arrested.
Following weeks of intense follow-up and meticulous
investigations, Henry was arrested on Thursday, June 11 at a hideout in Ihiala,
Anambra State. His arrest eventually led to the arrest of his younger brother
Mathew Ushie 'm' who is also an active member of the syndicate.
Further investigation revealed that Mathew Ushie had been
arrested in Ghana last year in a well-publicized bust of fraudsters where he
and other international fraudsters used the name of the Inspector General of
Police of Ghana, John Kudalor to defraud unsuspecting Ghanaian policemen in the
guise of providing an opportunity for them to attend United Nations
peacekeeping mission using a fake Facebook account. Information about his
arrest and parading before the press in Ghana is available on the internet.
Similarly, Henry Ushie had also been arrested in 2017 by the
IRT for impersonating then ACP ABBA Kyari, the Commander IRT on Facebook, and
defrauding many innocent Nigerians before he was arrested and subsequently
charged to court for impersonation. He eventually got bail from the court and
went back to the same crime.
Mba said all the suspects will be charged to court at the
conclusion of investigations.
The police spokesperson added that 21 other suspected
fraudsters including a woman, have been arrested for their involvement and
indictment in cases of romance and online dating scams, generating and
deployment of fake bank alerts, hacking and fraudulent wire transfers,
cyberstalking and impersonation of high-profile personalities in Nigeria and
across the world.
Exhibits recovered from the suspects include:
i. 11
Laptop Computers
ii. 37
Mobile Phones
iii. 11 SIM
cards of different telecoms networks
iv. 5
International passports
v. 12 ATM
Cards
vi. Fake US
Dollar notes.
vii.
Quantities of dry leaves suspected to be Marijuana
