Fake soldier arrested for N700,000 romance rip-off in Gombe

The Nigerian Army has arrested a 35-year-old man, Clifford Maisamari, for allegedly impersonating a navy officer and defrauding two ladies of greater than N700,000 by relationships in Gombe and Bauchi states.

Troops of the 301 Artillery Regiment, Gombe, arrested Maisamari, a local of Zonkwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State, following a report of alleged navy impersonation.

The suspect allegedly obtained greater than N500,000 from a 34-year-old businesswoman in Gombe and about N210,000 from one other lady in Bauchi by monetary requests linked to their relationships.

Maisamari admitted falsely presenting himself as a navy officer however denied intentionally utilizing romantic relationships to defraud the ladies.

He stated the Gombe businesswoman initially gave him N50,000 as a present earlier than offering extra sums on subsequent events.

He acknowledged receiving greater than N500,000 from her however insisted that he meant to repay the cash.

“I do know it’s a massive factor to say you might be a military officer when you find yourself not an officer. I conform to that, and I apologise,” he stated.

The Gombe businesswoman, who requested anonymity, stated she turned suspicious after seeing a Facebook publish warning ladies a couple of man allegedly posing as a navy officer.

She stated she contacted navy personnel she knew to confirm a promotion letter the suspect had proven her.

According to her, the contacts advised her that the quantity on the doc didn’t correspond with their data.

The lady stated she hid her suspicions and maintained a cordial relationship with Maisamari to forestall him from escaping earlier than his arrest.

She finally invited him to her workplace below the pretext of amassing her automobile, which he had been utilizing. Soldiers arrested him when he arrived, she stated.

Although she expressed curiosity in recovering her cash, the businesswoman stated her main concern was stopping different ladies from falling sufferer to related schemes.

In the Bauchi case, Maisamari admitted receiving about N210,000 from one other lady, claiming the cash was given throughout discussions about their relationship and attainable marriage preparations.

He stated disagreements later developed between them and that he finally blocked the lady after she demanded compensation.

The suspect denied routinely exploiting romantic relationships for monetary achieve, insisting that he had real intentions in direction of the ladies and deliberate to repay the cash.

An Army official on the 301 Artillery Regiment stated troops arrested Maisamari following a report of impersonation.

The official stated preliminary investigations had been performed, including that additional questioning would set up whether or not the suspect had accomplices and decide the extent of his alleged actions.

“We are still going to question him more to know if he has a syndicate and the extent he has gone in his duplicitous act,” the official stated.

He defined that the Army intervened as a result of the suspect allegedly impersonated a navy officer, including that the case would in any other case fall throughout the jurisdiction of the civil police.

The official stated the Army would hand Maisamari over to the police after finishing its preliminary investigation.