Immigration arrests man for impersonating journalist

Udeh

The Nigerian Immigration Service, Lagos State Command, has arrested a 48-year-old man, Nick Udeh, for posing as a journalist and presenting fake documents to seek favours from the Comptroller of the command, Mr. Julius Ogbu.

According to the immigration authorities, the suspect and others at large posed as employees of Newswatch Magazine and other media houses and wrote a letter to the comptroller requesting a meeting with him.

The bubble, however, burst last Friday when the comptroller referred the suspect to the command’s public relations officer, Muyiwa Odunubi.

Unknown to the suspect, calls had been made to management of the media house in question, including his scanned photograph, where it was discovered he had never been an employee of the company.

While speaking with PUNCH Metro at the command headquarters in Alagbon Close, Ikoyi, Lagos, the suspect, who claimed in the letter to the officer that they came from Abuja for a seminar in Lagos, pleaded for mercy.

He said, “I have never been an employee of Newswatch magazine. I know that in the media, some people blackmail. But this one is totally out of it.

“We did not blackmail him. The letter we wrote is a friendly one. I don’t know why they are reading meanings to it. We only asked for a friendly meeting with him. We stated in the letter that we came for a seminar and decided to bring this letter since all of us cannot come in group. There is no big deal there.

“We decided to do something to get close to him (Ogbu) being a new man here. We just wanted to reach out to him as friends because if you read the letter there was no place we said we needed anything because there was nothing he had done to warrant blackmail.

“But in this case, we went too far. I agree that the act is criminal and I accept that I am guilty of impersonation and there is no point denying. I regret my action.

“But I am appealing that I should be shown some element of mercy so that I can get out of this place. This is my first time.”

When asked what his real occupation was, the suspect said he was planning to migrate to the United States for greener pastures and said any criminal charge could affect his plans.

The service said the suspect would be handed over to the police for further investigation.


Read more: www.punchng.com/metro/immigration-arrests-man-for-impersonating-journalist/