The police have arrested a former Director-General, National Task force to Combat Illegal Importation, Smuggling of Small Arms, and Light Weapons, Osita Okereke, for allegedly defrauding job seekers of millions of naira.

He was also accused of forgery, parading as the DG of the task force and obtaining money under false pretences from applicants across the federation.

Okereke was arrested last Thursday while paying a courtesy call on the acting Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.

He was said to have earlier resisted arrest and directed his boys to assault the policemen who went to apprehend him following a petition against him.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, confirmed to SUNDAY PUNCH on Saturday that Okereke was in police custody for forgery, impersonation and assaulting police detectives.

He said, “Okereke was arrested for alleged impersonation, fraud and assaulting policemen deployed to arrest him. He would be arraigned in court after investigation.”

The acting Director-General, Importers Association of Nigeria (Special Task force), Amb. Chijioke Okoro, alleged that Okereke attempted to hijack the union by obtaining IMAN’s certificate of incorporation from the Corporate Affairs Commission on the pretext that the original was lost.

He reportedly claimed that armed robbers attacked the IMAN National Secretary, Kingsley Chikezie, and dispossessed him of the said certificate.

Thereafter, Okereke allegedly applied for and obtained a fresh IMAN certificate of incorporation from the CAC without proper advertisements in newspapers as required by law.

He further stated that Okereke was subsequently suspended and later sacked as the Task Force DG and IMAN President.