The Nigeria Customs Service apprehended Abdul-Rahman Ibrahim, who is in his fifties, for engaging in fraudulent activities and impersonating the Comptroller-General of Customs as well as other high-ranking government officials.
This information was revealed in a statement shared on Wednesday on the official X platform of the NCS.
The statement noted that the arrest of the suspect, as disclosed by NCS spokesperson CSC Abdullahi Maiwada on Monday, was facilitated through intelligence collected by the Customs Police Unit.
The statement partly read, “The suspect, Abdul-Rahman Ibrahim, was apprehended for his involvement in impersonating the Comptroller-General of Customs, Chief of Staff to the President, and the Secretary of the Ministry of Interior.
“According to the National PRO, the suspect has fraudulently lured numerous unsuspecting citizens to pay him money for the issuance of ‘job appointment letters,’ thereby extorting over N1 million from them.
“This arrest underscores the relentless effort of the Nigeria Customs Service in mitigating and combating criminal elements who exploit the service’s name for fraudulent activities.”
The statement further indicated that Ibrahim admitted to engaging in fraudulent activities and provided information about his collaborators, leading to a thorough investigation for the apprehension and prosecution of his associates.
The suspect was discovered in possession of counterfeit documents, including forged Customs and NSCDC appointment letters, as well as fabricated introduction letters falsely signed by high-ranking government officials, among other items.
In June 2023, report state that the arrest of an alleged imposter posing as a female customs officer, Rakiya Musa, by the Lagos police, accused of defrauding unsuspecting members of the public.
In December 2023, the NCS management clarified that there was no ongoing recruitment exercise within the service, cautioning the public against fraudulent recruitment advertisements circulating on social media platforms.