How 2 men sold fake watch to me for $290,000, used proceeds to buy house in Abuja – Dariye

Former Plateau State Governor, Joshua Dariye, has lodged a petition with the Nigeria Police, accusing two men of defrauding him of $290,000 (about ₦400 million) through the sale of a counterfeit Polo luxury wristwatch.

In a petition to the Deputy Inspector General of Police at the Force Intelligence Department, Abuja, Dariye alleged that the suspects engaged in criminal conspiracy, breach of trust, and obtaining money by false pretence.

Dariye, who governed Plateau State between 1999 and 2007 and later served as a senator before his conviction by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the diversion of ₦1.16 billion ecological funds, said the incident occurred in April 2024. He explained that the men, posing as representatives of a luxury watch company, offered him the watch for $290,000.

According to him, he later contacted the official Polo Company for verification and was informed that the watch was fake and that the men were not affiliated with the brand.

The former governor said he tried unsuccessfully to trace the alleged fraudsters but later discovered through discreet inquiries that they were “high-profile fraudsters.”

Investigators, he added, uncovered the real identity of one of the suspects, who allegedly converted the $290,000 into about ₦250 million through a Bureau de Change before transferring the funds to his company’s account at Keystone Bank.

Dariye further disclosed that the suspect reportedly spent ₦145 million from the proceeds on a property in Sahara III Estate, Lokogoma, Abuja, while another ₦100 million was fixed in a deposit account.

(DAILY POST)