Air Force arrest 23-yr-old man for impersonating Chief of Air Staff on Facebook

People who have a high mental capacity to do what others look at as being extraordinary, are often said to be intelligent, but how one uses this gift for mutually beneficial ends is another thing.

The case of justice catching up with Justice Israel Ukaegbu, a 23-year-old unemployed Aba, Abia State-based Internet “guru” is a case in point.

Justice, who confessed to being “extremely talented in different fields, from computers to handling agro-mechanized equipment”, was arrested by the authorities of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) for operating a Facebook account and posing as the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh.

Ukaegbu, according to the Director of Public Relations and Information (DoPRI), NAF Air Commodore Yusuf Anas, is “a very talented young man, using his talent negatively, has operated this Facebook account for a long time now”, using the medium to defraud desperate unsuspecting Nigerians who desire to join the NAF.

It took a thorough investigation by our men before the suspect was traced to Aba, in Abia State, where he was arrested,” he revealed.

Anas said this was the third time such arrest was made in the last two years, but the Air Chief Badeh does not even have a facebook account. So one wonders why Nigerians would fall for such a cheap trick, because “enlistment does not require anybody to pay any sum of money to get enlisted, it is there on our website”, he said.

“It is noteworthy to add that the impostor attracted and interacted freely with a lot of people in the name of Air Marshal Badeh while also using the same platform to deceive unsuspecting victims of possible recruitment into the Nigerian Air Force for a fee. There is no doubt that the action of Mr. Ukaegbu has a great security implication, not only to the person of Air Marshal AS Badeh, but also for the Nigerian Air Force and the nation in general,” Anas noted.

Confirming his misadventure amidst pleas for mercy, Ukaegbu said: “All that they said is true, but I only recently started in January and I have not collected money from anybody”. According to the suspect, his ambition was to join the NAF but after paying N30,000 to an agent for him to be enlisted, he discovered to his chagrin that he was defrauded, that was why he also joined the train, when he was given the opportunity by his friend, whom he called Wisdom Onyebuenyi, an Information Communication Technology expert.

Ukaegbu said it was frustration and joblessness that pushed him into committing the crime. “I wanted to join the Air force, too, but I could not be enlisted. I’m still interested in bringing my talent to the Air force if I‘m given the opportunity” he pleaded.

Like the previous two suspects, he was handed over to the Police for further investigation.