The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Federal Operations Unit Zone ‘B’, has apprehended a fake customs officer in Sokoto.
The suspect, Abubakar Ibrahim, was arrested on April 29, at Next Level Hotel, Sokoto.
This was disclosed in a statement by Isah Sulaiman, the Unit Public Relations Officer, on Thursday in Kaduna.
According to Sulaiman, the suspect, aged 28, has been impersonating and defrauding innocent Nigerians in the name of the Nigeria Customs Service.
He said that Ibrahim was arrested with the assistance of the Nigeria Police, Sokoto State Command.
“The suspect, found in NCS uniform, was handed over to the Customs Police Unit, Sokoto, Zamfara Command for discreet investigation, and will be arraigned in court in accordance with extant laws,” he added.
Sulaiman said that the NCS Zone ‘B’ Comptroller, Ahmadu Shuaibu, has reiterated his commitment to apprehend impersonators and prosecute fraudulent individuals posing as personnel of the NCS on social media and other platforms.
Shuaibu expressed appreciation to the Police for their cooperation and swift response leading to the arrest of the suspect.
He urged the public to disregard any social media account soliciting money for recruitment or auction, as the Service does not collect money for such exercises.
The Comptroller advised the public to follow only verified social media handles of the NCS with blue tick, such as Nigeria Customs Service on Facebook, @CustomsNG on X, and other platforms, including the recently-created WhatsApp Channel.
He encouraged the public to feel free to visit the nearest Public Relations Unit of any Customs Command for clarification on any issue concerning the Service.