Segun Atanda/
Five men who made a living posing as journalists have been nabbed by the police.
According to the police, one of them has built a mansion from proceeds of the venture.
He was identified as Musa Auwalu, 43, from Nasarawa area of Kano State.
Police spokesman, CSP Jimoh Moshood described Auwalu as the leader of a gate-crashing gang of journalists who steal phones and money at venue of events.
He said that Auwalu was able to build the mansion from some foreign currencies stolen from an unidentified VIP at a wedding in Abuja last year.
The other alleged gang members were named as: Kolawole Akinbode, 50, from Ogun State, Umar Tahir Abba, 53, from Mubi in Adamawa State, Abdulahi Muhammed, 55, from Gudunfulani area of Bauchi State and Muhammad Sale, 60, from Ngogo area of Kano State.
The Police said they recovered 13 expensive phones and fake Journalist’s ID Cards with non existing media houses from the suspects.
Jimoh said, “The gang leader has built a house in Kano from the huge foreign currencies he stole during a wedding of a Very Important Personality last year in Abuja.
“The Inspector General of Police’s Intelligence Response Team trailed and arrested the above mentioned suspects after complaints of stolen phones from important personalities who attended a prominent wedding in Abeokuta, Ogun State on the 8th July, 2017.
“They were arrested in different states of the Federation namely: Ogun, Edo, Abuja and Kano States. The exhibits listed above were recovered from them. The house built in Kano State from the huge foreign currencies the gang leader stole during a wedding of a Very Important Personality last year in Abuja has been identified.
“The suspects confessed to the crime and admitted to the various criminal roles they played in the commission of the offence.
“The suspects confessed further that they specialised in impersonating journalists in order to gain access into venues of VIPs events/occasions to steal handsets, money, and defraud high profile persons and unsuspecting members of the public at the venues of events in major cities in the country.
“Investigation is being intensified to arrest other suspects at large. All suspects will be arraigned in court on completion of investigation.”
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