The Nigerian Army has arrested a 35-year-old man, Clifford Maisamari, for allegedly impersonating a military officer and defrauding two women of more than N700,000 through relationships in Gombe and Bauchi states. BuyMaps<\/p>\n
Troops of the 301 Artillery Regiment, Gombe, arrested Maisamari, a native of Zonkwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State, following a report of alleged military impersonation.<\/p>\n
The suspect allegedly obtained more than N500,000 from a 34-year-old businesswoman in Gombe and about N210,000 from another woman in Bauchi through financial requests linked to their relationships.<\/p>\n
Maisamari admitted falsely presenting himself as a military officer but denied deliberately using romantic relationships to defraud the women.<\/p>\n
He said the Gombe businesswoman initially gave him N50,000 as a gift before providing additional sums on subsequent occasions.<\/p>\n
He acknowledged receiving more than N500,000 from her but insisted that he intended to repay the money.<\/p>\n
“I know it is a big thing to say you are an army officer when you are not an officer. I agree to that, and I apologise,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Gombe businesswoman, who requested anonymity, said she became suspicious after seeing a Facebook post warning women about a man allegedly posing as a military officer.<\/p>\n
She said she contacted military personnel she knew to verify a promotion letter the suspect had shown her.<\/p>\n
According to her, the contacts told her that the number on the document did not correspond with their records.<\/p>\n
The woman said she concealed her suspicions and maintained a cordial relationship with Maisamari to prevent him from escaping before his arrest.<\/p>\n
She eventually invited him to her office under the pretext of collecting her car, which he had been using. Soldiers arrested him when he arrived, she said.<\/p>\n
Although she expressed interest in recovering her money, the businesswoman said her primary concern was preventing other women from falling victim to similar schemes.<\/p>\n
In the Bauchi case, Maisamari admitted receiving about N210,000 from another woman, claiming the money was given during discussions about their relationship and possible marriage arrangements.<\/p>\n
He said disagreements later developed between them and that he eventually blocked the woman after she demanded repayment.<\/p>\n
The suspect denied routinely exploiting romantic relationships for financial gain, insisting that he had genuine intentions towards the women and planned to repay the money.<\/p>\n
An Army official at the 301 Artillery Regiment said troops arrested Maisamari following a report of impersonation.<\/p>\n
The official said preliminary investigations had been conducted, adding that further questioning would establish whether the suspect had accomplices and determine the extent of his alleged activities.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are still going to question him more to know if he has a syndicate and the extent he has gone in his duplicitous act,\u201d the official said.<\/p>\n
He explained that the Army intervened because the suspect allegedly impersonated a military officer, adding that the case would otherwise fall within the jurisdiction of the civil police.<\/p>\n
The official said the Army would hand Maisamari over to the police after completing its preliminary investigation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Nigerian Army has arrested a 35-year-old man, Clifford Maisamari, for allegedly impersonating a military officer and defrauding two women of more than N700,000 through relationships in Gombe and Bauchi states. BuyMaps Troops of the 301 Artillery Regiment, Gombe, arrested Maisamari, a native of Zonkwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State, following a report of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9442,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[53,346],"class_list":["post-9427","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-gombe","tag-soldier"],"yoast_head":"\n