A popular African adage says “every day is for the thief and one day is for the owner.” The adage aptly fitted Iliyasu Ibrahim 33-year-old and his boss Sukni Zakka 39 years old both from Plateau State who impersonated Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed Abdulakadir and defraud innocent citizens up to N37M in the name of giving them Hajj slot. Iliyasu and Zakka were paraded along side with other 185 for committing various offenses at the Police headquarters Bauchi.
Confessing in an interview to New Telegraph, Ibrahim who impersonated the Governor of Bauchi State, said, he wanted to use the money to build a befitting house in Jos for his family. The father of four said his boss, former personal assistant (PA) to Senator Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir begged him to represent him as the Governor of Bauchi State Bala Mohammed Abdulakadir (Kauran Bauchi). Ibrahim said, “it was my boss, former PA to Kaura that initiated me into this business of collecting money from people who are intending Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. He made me to be his representative, that I should act as the Governor of Bauchi state while he will be my PA to the Governor.”
According to him, “as a Governor, I don’t collect money from victims directly or met with them face to face but the PA collected all the money from our victims and my own work as a Governor was to received phone calls from the PA who would be demanding for Hajj seats from me and once he call me I will let them know that the Hajj seat may not be possible but they should liaise with the PA for further details.”
“Anytime, the business arises, I will come from Jos and stayed in Guru village, a suburb of Bauchi metropolis while the PA will be at Government House gate with our victims. He will call me on phone so that I can talk to our victims so that they will be convinced to see him at the Government House,” he added.
He said further that, they have collected money up to N22M from the intending pilgrims in the name of helping them to get Hajj seat for them from government and those willing to sell the seat saying he was yet to receive his own share of the money but intended to build a house with the proceed. “I have never seen Bauchi State Governor face to face. I am a driver to the PA, he is my boss, I am just representing his interest in my capacity as a Governor. I told him from the beginning that I cannot act as a Governor but he insisted that I should do it for him. I wanted to build a befitting house from the money we raked from intending pilgrims in Jos but now that I am caught, I regretted everything. I am begging the Governor to forgive me,” he confessed.
Also speaking to New Telegraph, the PA to the imposter Governor Iliyasu Ibrahim, Sukni Zakka said he was at the Police custody because of a transaction between him and one Alhaji Idiris who gave them money to secure Hajj seat for him. Zakka, 39 from Dangi in Kanam local Government area of Plateau State said, Alhaji Idiris first gave them N15,000 each, later N50,000 each and then N600,000 each to help him get Hajj slot for him. Zakka, a father of 10, two wives explained that, “I collected the money from our victims in my position as to the Governor. I was former PA to Kaura when he was minister of FCT.
However, he blamed his victims for looking for cheap things, “going to Mecca is N1.5 but Alhaji Idiris insisted that I should help him get a seat at N600, 000. I told him that it would not be possible and it may be possible but he told me that even the one that legislators used to sell, I should help him get it for him,” he pointed out. He confessed that he collected N15, 000 from 28 people and N600,000 from nine people Speaking on how he met with imposter Governor, he said “we met with Governor that is Ibrahim in Kabir plateau state on my way from Bauchi to Dangi, when we met he say he needed my favour on one thing and that was how we started the business.” On his relationship with Bauchi Governor, Zakk said, “I have been with Governor Bala Mohammed before he was elected senator, later Minister of FCT but since he became the Governor we are not together again.”
He said his family is not aware of his business but want the Governor to forgive him and this should serve as the first and the last warning. “I am now feeling very bad in this situation it was a mistake I made and if there is no mistake that means no room for correction so I want the Governor to forgive me.” Parading the suspects recently at the Police headquarters Bauchi Commissioner of Police Habu Sani said the impersonators were arrested in Bauchi and they have their houses in the state capital. He said the suspects also have defrauded innocent members of the public the sum of N37M in the name of payment for 2019 Hajj pilgrimage to the holy Land. “One of the suspects by name Sukni Zakka acted as the personal assistant (PA) to the Governor while the other Iliyasu Ibrahim alias “Du” acted as the Governor during phone conversation. The impostor PA usually lured his unsuspecting victims and defrauds them by putting a call to the impostor Governor which in return answered the call and assured them a Hajj slot.”
Culled from New Telegraph
