The Nigeria Police Force has uncovered an alleged recruitment and contract scam in which a 32-year-old man reportedly posed as the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Segun Aina, to extract millions of naira from unsuspecting members of the public.

Police said the suspect, Nwogba Arinze, was arrested on August 27 in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, following a petition by the JAMB Registrar alleging criminal conspiracy, impersonation, identity theft and fraud.

According to the Force, Arinze and his alleged accomplices created a telephone identity using the Registrar’s name, photograph and official position on WhatsApp, Truecaller and LinkedIn, giving potential victims the impression that they were dealing directly with a senior government official.

The impersonators allegedly used the fabricated identity to offer supposed government and JAMB contracts, with victims reportedly asked to pay between N900,000 and N3 million as processing charges or alleged bribes to influence officials of the Ministry of Education.

The police said the case triggered an intelligence-led investigation after Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Rilwan Disu approved the petition and deployed the Police Intelligence, Operations and Investigation Unit to JAMB headquarters.

Investigators subsequently traced the alleged activities across the Federal Capital Territory, Nasarawa, Anambra and Ebonyi states before arresting Arinze in Abakaliki, according to the Force.

Police said a prima facie case had been established against the suspect under relevant provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015, as amended, while investigations into the alleged network continue.

Among the items recovered from the suspect was an Access Bank ATM card belonging to the late Edeh Chimezie Benedict, which police said was allegedly used to receive proceeds of the fraud, adding another dimension to the investigation into how the suspected scam operated.