The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has apprehended four individuals who attempted to blackmail and extort $1 million by falsely claiming to represent the commission’s chairperson, Ola Olukoyede. The suspects, identified as Ojobo Joshua, Aliyu Hashim, Thomas Oduh, and Paul Ogiji, were arrested on Wednesday in a coordinated raid at multiple locations in Abuja, including Gimbiya Street and Apo Legislative Quarters.

The suspects are alleged to have operated a criminal syndicate that targeted former Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello-Koko. They purportedly threatened Bello-Koko with a fictitious investigation and prosecution, claiming they possessed evidence of his involvement in illegal activities during his tenure. They demanded $1 million from him for what they called a “soft landing.”

According to EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, the arrests followed a tip-off and a successful sting operation. The suspects reportedly pretended to be EFCC officials acting under Olukoyede’s authority, insisting that Bello-Koko pay the money to avoid legal trouble.

“The Commission acted swiftly on credible intelligence and managed to apprehend the suspects while they were still in the process of extortion,” Oyewale said. “They are now in our custody, and charges will be filed once our investigation is complete.”

This case is part of a broader pattern of fraud involving impersonation of EFCC officials. In February 2023, Salman Hudu was arrested for posing as EFCC chair Abdulrasheed Bawa and extorting N100,000 from a victim. Similarly, in August 2016, three individuals were caught attempting to extort N16 million from Casmir Ajulu, Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State, by pretending to have connections with the EFCC.

The EFCC continues to warn the public about impersonation scams and advises verification of anyone claiming to represent the commission. The agency remains dedicated to prosecuting those involved in such fraudulent activities and encourages anyone with relevant information to come forward.