The Niger State Police Command has arrested an 18-year-old man, Victor Ugwu, for allegedly posing as a woman online to defraud unsuspecting victims.
The police said the suspect, who lives on Easy Life Street along Kaduna Road, was intercepted on October 16, 2025, by a patrol team from the Maje Division during an argument with a resident identified as Peter.
Police Public Relations Officer, Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the arrest in a statement on Sunday.
“On October 16, 2025, at about 6 pm, a patrol team attached to Maje Division, while on routine patrol along Kaduna Road, intercepted one Victor Ugwu in a public argument with one Peter of the same area,” Abiodun said.
According to him, Peter told officers that he had asked Victor to connect him with a female colleague last year. However, instead of introducing him to a real person, Victor allegedly dressed as a woman, took pictures of himself, and sent them to Peter on social media, requesting money.
A search conducted in Victor’s home led to the recovery of a wig and female clothing used for the scam.
Abiodun said the suspect confessed to sending the fake pictures to multiple contacts on Facebook and TikTok, both to defraud victims and to attract more followers for monetisation.
“He confessed that he shared the pictures to his contacts on Facebook and TikTok for a dating scam, and to also achieve one thousand viewers and followers for monetisation,” the statement read.
The police said the case is still under investigation.
In a separate development, the command also recovered a stolen white Golf car with registration number RSH 442 FD along Kaduna Road on the same day.
Abiodun said the vehicle was found abandoned after being reported stolen from Hayin-Kaduna.
He urged residents to be cautious while using social media and to avoid sending money to people they have never met in person.
