A Nigerian ex-convict, Bright Daniels, who has been impersonating the former boss of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, COP Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah has been sentenced to eight years imprisonment in hard labour after defrauding unsuspecting victims on social media.
The convict who had already served a seven-year jail term at the Nsawam Prisons denied committing the crime but was found culpable after trial. His accomplice, another Nigerian, and ex-convict, Livinus Amadianaeze Ugwu, is currently on the run.
According to the prosecution, the complainant, COP Addo-Danquah, who is now the Executive Director of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) said in April 2021, her attention was drawn to a fake Facebook Messenger account bearing her name and picture which was being used to request for money from personnel of the police service under the pretense of acquiring them positions in the African Union (AU) and United Nations (UN) operations in Sudan and Somalia.
The victims were contacted by the user of the fake Facebook account using COP Addo-Danquah’s name and picture to pay money via mobile money.
However, an amount of GHS10,000 was paid into the Mobile Money account by Detective Chief Inspector Baffoe, which was withdrawn by the ex-convict.
The Mobile Money number was traced to the Nsawam Medium Security Prisons environs in the Eastern Region and upon investigations the ex-convict was unveiled as the user of the number.
The Police Prosecutor, DSP Emmanuel Nyamekye added that upon further investigation, a Samsung Galaxy A02 phone chat with his accomplice while using a Tecno feature phone to receive the amount sent from Detective Chief Inspector Baffoe was retrieved.
He added that through Forensic Examination of the devices that the ex-convict conspired with his accomplice to use COP Addo-Danquah’s photograph and name to take money from personnel of the Police service to secure slots for them in the UN and African Union Mission.
The ex-convict also acquired the SIM card which was used to receive the payment from Detective Chief Inspector Baffoe.
Following the investigations, the ex-convict admitted the offense and was subsequently arraigned.
-BY Daniel Bampoe