Fraud: Rep Faleke distances self from fake Facebook post

Lagos lawmaker, Rep James Faleke issues disclaimer over activities of fraudsters requesting N18,500 from unsuspecting Nigerians for Empowerment Fund form on his official Facebook account

Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Finance, James Faleke (APC, Ikeja) has issued a disclaimer over the activities of some persons that hacked his official Facebook account and have continued to extort Nigerians.

Faleke, who doubles as Secretary of the Presidential Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress (APC), distanced himself from the perpetrators asking unsuspecting Nigerians to pay N18,500 as an Empowerment Fund form.

Addressing the press on Tuesday, Faleke said “I have been inundated with reports from several Nigerians about the activities of some unscrupulous elements who hacked my official Facebook account to extort unsuspecting Nigerians.

According to them, these individuals requested that the intending beneficiaries should pay the sum of N18,500 into a designated account. One of the individuals behind this fraud is also sending messages to unsuspecting victims using the name of a certain Dr Lukman Johnny with phone number 08147136835, who is said to be a staff of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture in Abuja.

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It reads: “Dr Lukman Johnny on 08147136835 tell him i directed you, he is the director in charge of the empowerment fund in Federal Ministry of Agriculture here in Abuja, he will guide you on what to do.”

“I, therefore, wish to put on record that I am not aware of any empowerment fund being allocated or distributed to any individual or group of persons by Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu or by myself. At no given time did I initiate such a scheme, and will not subscribe to any form of dubious activities of fraudsters.

While I urge Nigerians not to subscribe to the antics of these criminals, I also wish to appeal to all and sundry to track and report the activities of the criminals to relevant security agencies near them and ensure that they are apprehended and prosecuted,” Faleke urged.