Chief Of Air Staff Facebook Impersonator Arrested

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has arrested Mr. Israel Justice Ukaegbu for impersonating the Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Alex Badeh, on the popular social media site, Facebook.

The suspect was said to have connived with one Mr. Wisdom Raphael Onyebuenyi, who is now on the run, to open a Facebook account with name A.S. Badeh.

NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Yusuf Anas, paraded Ukaegbu before journalists in Abuja yesterday.  He said the suspect, who was arrested at No. 3, Azikiwe Road, Aba, Abia State, on the Facebook displayed a portrait photograph of Badeh while interacting with unsuspecting members of the public in that capacity.

He added that the suspect claimed to have opened the Facebook account after falling victim to a fake NAF recruitment agent who defrauded him of N30,000 to assist him enlist into the force.

He said: “This, according to him, was what led him to enlist the services of the information and communication technology expert, Mr. Wisdom Onyebuenyi, to set up his own Facebook account to enable him recoup his money and defraud other unsuspecting Nigerians.
"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 NAF for a fee.”

Ukaegbu, who denied extorting money from anybody, confessed to the crime of impersonation and blamed his action on the difficult economic situation in Aba.

He apologised to the air force and begged for forgiveness, adding that he was a victim of circumstances.

“The allegations against me are true. God has already forgiven me, they should also forgive me,” he said.