A 58-year-old man has been arrested by police for posing as the widow of Abba Kyari, the late Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari to defraud unsuspecting Nigerians.
The man identified as Mallam Aminu Ado, during interrogation by the police said he had an ambition of becoming the next Kano State governor.
“I am a politician and I have the ambition of becoming the governor of Kano State 2023 insha allah,” he said.
While being paraded by the police in Abuja, on Monday, the Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Frank Mba, said “after the death of the former Chief of Staff, Ado went on to impersonate the widow and reached out to prominent Nigerians asking for donations to enable him organize special prayers for the soul of the departed.
“In the course of doing that, some of the prominent Nigerians became suspicious and reached out to us. He has been cooperative with the investigation and held back no facts.
ALSO READ: ISSUES: Nigerians react to Osinbajo’s call for national debate on expensive govt
“He is 58 years old. He had also had a stint with EFCC in 2019. He was charged to an Abuja High Court and was convicted and imprisoned for three months as a result of the plea bargain he successfully initiated by his lawyers.
Mb a said, the suspect, Ado, also known as Al Amin Yerima, had an app on his phone that changes his voice to a woman’s voice, which he used to perpetuate the criminal act.
The Force PRO, also informed that the suspect, who claimed to be a family friend of the Kyaris, and was trying to organize a prayer for the the departed soul, could not explain why he had to pretend to be a woman to solicit for assistance, while he admitted he did it without the consent of the family.
On interrogation, among those he confessed to have contacted to collect money included the governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong; the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; and the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed.
He claimed he knew these highly placed Nigerians very well, saying he too being a politician and, at a time had been in talks with them.
