The Nigerian Navy has arrested two alleged impostors for extorting applicants seeking to join the service.
A statement signed by the Director, Naval Information, Commodore Chris Ezekobe, revealed that operatives of the NNS Victory in Calabar nabbed one Pius who allegedly collected money from prospective entrants with a promise to offer them employment.
He said another suspect, Prince Moses Ushi, was arrested in Ughelli by operatives of Operation Delta Safe on July 6.
“Pius was picked up around Akim Naval barracks on July 7, for allegedly defrauding unsuspecting civilians up to the sum of N330,000. The suspect was also alleged to have collected another N50,000 in cash from his victims with a promise to help them join the Nigerian Navy.
“Investigations have shown that the victims are candidates in the ongoing Nigerian Navy recruitment exercise.
“Ushi was picked up on July 6 for impersonating as an officer of the Nigerian Navy. Further investigation revealed that the impostor had at various times posed as a Lieutenant Commander to extort money from unsuspecting civilians.
“Items recovered from the suspect include one toy gun, camouflage short and T-shirt, face caps, several copies of photographs/ ID cards, a horse whip and a military restriction signpost mounted on his accommodation.
“Recall that the Nigerian Navy has alerted the general public on the activities of some criminal syndicates who are collecting money from unsuspecting civilians with a promise to help them join the service,” he said.
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