A Gombe businesswoman has helped the Nigerian Army arrest a 35-year-old man, Clifford Maisamari, after a Facebook warning raised suspicions that he was impersonating a military officer to obtain money from women.
Maisamari was arrested by troops of the 301 Artillery Regiment, Gombe, over allegations that he posed as a soldier and collected more than ₦710,000 from two women in Gombe and Bauchi states through romantic relationships.
The suspect, a native of Zonkwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State, allegedly obtained over ₦500,000 from the 34-year-old businesswoman in Gombe and another ₦210,000 from a woman in Bauchi.
The Gombe businesswoman said she became suspicious after seeing a Facebook post warning women about a man allegedly posing as a military officer.
She subsequently contacted military personnel she knew to verify a promotion letter Maisamari had shown her. According to her, the people she contacted discovered that the number on the document did not correspond with their records.
Rather than confront the suspect, the woman said she concealed her suspicions and continued to maintain a cordial relationship with him to prevent him from escaping.
She eventually devised a plan to get him arrested by inviting him to her office under the pretext of collecting her car, which he had been using.
Maisamari was arrested when he arrived at the office, the woman said.
Although she expressed interest in recovering her money, the businesswoman said her greater concern was preventing other women from falling victim to similar schemes.
The suspect reportedly admitted falsely presenting himself as a military officer but denied deliberately exploiting romantic relationships to defraud the women.
“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,” he said.
Maisamari acknowledged receiving more than ₦500,000 from the Gombe businesswoman but claimed she initially gave him ₦50,000 as a gift before providing additional sums on subsequent occasions.
He insisted that he intended to repay the money.
In the Bauchi case, the suspect also admitted receiving about ₦210,000 from another woman but claimed the money was given during discussions about their relationship and possible marriage arrangements.
He said disagreements later developed between them and that he eventually blocked the woman after she demanded repayment.
Maisamari denied routinely using romantic relationships to obtain money, insisting that his intentions towards the women were genuine.
An Army official at the 301 Artillery Regiment confirmed that troops arrested the suspect following a report of military impersonation.
The official said further investigations would determine whether Maisamari had accomplices and establish the extent of his alleged activities.
“We are still going to question him more to know if he has a syndicate and the extent he has gone in his duplicitous act,” the official said.
He explained that the Army intervened because of the alleged impersonation, adding that the suspect would be handed over to the police after the completion of preliminary investigations.
