Juliana Francis
 |
| Yerima |
Twenty-nine-year-old Aminu Ahmed Yerima is a Master’s degree holder studied and
graduated from the University of Ghana, Accra.
With his degree, he could have sought employment in any
establishment, either in Ghana or Nigeria, but he seems to prefer the odious
job of becoming one of the young Nigerians, who prowl the internet, seeking
those to con.
After making up his mind to become a fraudster, he took to the
crime like ducks to water. Police alleged that he had defrauded over 50 people on
Facebook, pretending to be an aide to former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar,
who is presently the Presidential Candidate of the People’s Democratic
Party (PDP).
Speaking after his arrest by operatives of the Inspector-General-of
Police Special Intelligence Response Team, (IRT), led by a Deputy Commissioner
of Police (DCP), Abba Kyari, Yerima said that he started swindling people after
he was swindled.
He said: “I went into
fraud in 2016 after I couldn’t secure a good job and I had been swindled by
someone on Facebook. The guy that swindled me promised to link me up with a
sugar mummy that would be paying me for sex. The fraudster took N30, 000
from me and later blocked me on Facebook. I then thought I could play the same game
and make money for myself since I had no job.”
Yerima, a native of Jada
Local Government Area of Adamawa State, where Atiku hails from, had allegedly fleeced
his unsuspecting victims of large sums of money running into millions.
Trouble started for
Yerima after two of his female victims wrote a petition against him to the Inspector-General
of Police, Ibrahim Idris, explaining how they were defrauded of the sum of
N5million within six months.
The IRT operatives were
able to trace and locate Yerima, through information he unwittingly provided
on his Facebook. He was located in Kano State.
The police said: “Yerima
created a Facebook account using pictures of himself and the former Vice
President, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia and several other locations. He also identified
himself on his Facebook wall as a Personal Aide (PA) to Atiku. Yerima made
his victims to believe that Atiku usually gives financial assistance and
contracts to people. He also assured them that he could help them to facilitate
these financial assistance and contracts. Many people fell for his scam because
he is from the same local government area with Atiku. He has met Atiku on
several occasions and seized the opportunities to snap pictures with him. These
pictures included those of Atiku on pilgrimages to Mecca and Saudi Arabia.
After swindling them, he would block them on Facebook just to stop
communication with them. After we arrested him, we found out that he
had defrauded over 50 persons.”
The police explained
that the women, who wrote petition against Yerima, were Raliat and Awa
Maje. Yerima told them that Atiku would give them N15million. He later fleeced each
of them N5million.
Yerima added: “I
obtained my Master’s degree from the University of Ghana,
Accra, in 2014, but I got my bachelor’s degree from Federal University Yola,
Adamawa State in 2010. I first tried to use the same sugar mummy
format, which someone used to swindle to start off, but it didn’t work for me. I
created a new Facebook account using ‘Manga Mubi’ as my profile name. I uploaded
several pictures of myself and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who is
from the same local government area. Atiku is very accessible and
down-to-earth.”
The suspect further
said: “Whenever Atiku was in town, he allows people to come around his house
and snap pictures with him. I have snapped several pictures with him over the
years including one taken during my Hajj Pilgrimage. I also identified
himself as his PA and people started contacting me. A lot of them wanted
to meet him; others wanted contracts and financial assistance. I normally
used to assure them that I could facilitate a meeting between him and them, but
it will attract a fee. I usually asked them to pay as from N500, 000 upward. A
lot of people paid several amount to me and when they insist on seeing him, I’ll
tell them that he was out of the country. If they become troublesome, I block
them from communicating with me. Right now, I can’t remember the names of
the people I defrauded.
“I also learned how to
defraud people using fake bank alerts. I used it in buying goods in Kano State
before I was arrested. One of the women, who wrote the petition to the
police that got me arrested, Raliat, added me on Facebook and started
conversing with me, believing I was truly Atiku’s PA. She told me that
she needed N15million for her business. I assured her that Atiku was would
give it to her, but that she would have to give me some money, with which to
process the N15m for her. I made her to believe that Atiku was always
traveling round the world, and that reaching him wasn’t easy. This way, she was
always providing money for my movement to see Atiku. I collected a total
N2.5million from her. I sent a picture of a bank deposit teller of N15million,
which I told her that ‘Atiku has approved’ to be paid into her account. When
she waited endlessly for the money, she became troublesome, so I had to block
her on Facebook and ceased communication with her. I didn’t know that she
reported me to the police. I was in Kano State when IRT men came to arrest me.
“
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