Immigration arrests man for impersonating journalist

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.