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| Jehu Kwasu |
A graduate of Political
Science, Jehu Kwasu, has narrated how he impersonated the Catholic Bishop of
Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Kukah and defrauded prominent Nigerians of
millions of naira.
The
Punch report continues:
Kwasu
said his victims included Bishop David Oyedepo of Living Faith Church
Worldwide, who he claimed gave him ₦500,000; the Chairman, Honeywell Group, Oba
Otudeko, ₦1m; Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu, ₦500,000; businessman, Alhaji Aminu
Dantata, ₦2m.
He
allegedly collected the sums for Internally Displaced Persons.
He
said, “I collected ₦500,000 from Otudeko, CEO, Honeywell: From Admiral Kanu, I
got ₦500,000. I also got ₦500,000 from Bishop Oyedepo and ₦2m from Dantata. I
also got money from Gen. Wushishi and others.
“I
opened a Guaranty Trust Bank account in Bishop Kukah’s name. I registered a SIM
card in my name, but used Bishop Kukah’s picture on my True Caller account, so
that when I call, his picture would appear (on the recipient’s phone.)”
Kwasu,
who is serving a two-month sentence in the Keffi Prison, admitted on Friday in
Abuja that he realized over ₦5.7m.
Police
sources said only ₦1.7m was found in his bank account, adding that the suspect
spent most of the money he made on girls and hard drugs.
It
was gathered that Kwasu, the son of late Anglican Bishop, James Kwasu, also
exploited his father’s name, to extort money from the Katsina State Governor,
Aminu Masari, when the latter was the Speaker, House of Representatives.
The
25-year old explained that he defrauded his victims by soliciting money on
phone to cater to IDPs in the country.
The
cleric’s son stated that he obtained a passport with the name, Mathew Hassah
Kukah Jehu, and also opened an account with the GTB in the same name.
He
said, “I called people on the telephone and told them I was Bishop Kukah. I
used his picture on my True Caller account, so that when I called people, they
would think he was the one talking with them.
“I
also obtained a passport in Bishop Kukah’s name which I used to open an account
with GTB. The money I realized was paid into the account and I used an
Automated Teller Machine card to withdraw it.”
PUNCH
Metro gathered that Kukah was alerted to the scam by some people close to
him.
The
cleric was said to have petitioned the police, which asked the bank to place a
“no debit order” on the account.
Following
his inability to withdraw from the account, Kwasu was said to have visited the
bank to complain, where he was arrested.
Findings
indicate that Kwasu had earlier been arrested and remanded in prison for
impersonating Bishop Steven Akobe of the Anglican Diocese of Kabba, Kogi State,
but was granted bail.
The
police said Kwasu had also attempted to extort money from Senator David Mark,
claiming to be Akobe.
“Mark
said I should come for some money, so I sent my girlfriend. But she was
arrested and I was taken to court and sentenced to two months imprisonment or ₦9,000
fine,” Kwasu stated.
It
was gathered that the suspect, who had two female siblings, sold his deceased
parents’ house in Kaduna for ₦10m and lavished the money on girls and a
profligate lifestyle.
The
Federal Capital Territory Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Mustafa, stated that
Kwasu was arrested by the men of his command, after Kukah complained about his
activities.
The
CP said, “We received a petition from Bishop Kukah alleging that the boy had
been impersonating him and extorting money from prominent people. So, my men
went to work and were able to track the suspect and arrest him. He is a
habitual criminal and I would like to advise the public against responding to
emails or phone calls from unknown persons requesting financial support for one
cause or the other.”
Mustafa also called on the public to report every suspicious phone call and email to the police for investigation.
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