Operatives of the Ogun State Police Command have arrested a man, Adewale Ogoemi Arojah, for allegedly impersonating a cleric on Facebook and defrauding unsuspecting victims of over N18 million under the guise of offering prayers and spiritual assistance.
The suspect was arrested by operatives of the Ilaro Divisional Police Headquarters following a complaint by a cleric, Muyiwa Akogun, popularly known on Facebook as “Prophet Dr Muyiwa Akogun.”
According to a statement by the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, on Thursday, Akogun alerted the police on October 3, 2026, after members of the public complained about fraudulent activities allegedly being carried out in his name through a duplicate Facebook account.
Following the complaint, the Divisional Police Officer, Ilaro, deployed intelligence and detective operatives to track down and apprehend the suspect.
“Upon receipt of the complaint, the Divisional Police Officer, Ilaro Division, immediately detailed intelligence and detective operatives to track down the perpetrator,” Babaseyi said.
“Through sustained technological monitoring and intelligence-led analysis, the suspect was tracked to a nearby village in Ajegunle, via the Ilaro-Ibogun axis, where he was successfully apprehended,” the police spokesperson added.
“During a rigorous interrogation, the suspect confessed to impersonating the real Prophet Akogun on Facebook. He admitted to using the cleric’s identity to deliver fake prophecies and offer prayer services to vulnerable individuals, thereby defrauding victims residing both within Nigeria and in the diaspora.”
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect systematically targeted victims seeking spiritual assistance on the said prophet’s Facebook page, gained their trust and swindled them of funds amounting to over N18m,” the statement said.
The case highlights a growing pattern of identity-based online fraud in Nigeria, in which fraudsters clone the accounts of trusted public figures, including clergy, to reach victims who would normally be cautious of strangers.
Police authorities have repeatedly advised Nigerians to verify the identity of anyone soliciting money online, even when the account appears to belong to a familiar public figure, and to report suspicious accounts directly to the platform and to law enforcement.
Source: Punch. This story was rewritten from the original report.
Image: Punch (stock photo of the Nigeria Police Force)
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