Joshua Chibi Dariye, the former Governor of Plateau State and ex-senator, has fallen victim to a $290,000 (N250 million) scam involving a counterfeit luxury watch.
In a police-seal-fake-pharmacy-harmful-pharmacist/” title=”Fake Pharmacist Puts Lives at Risk: … Shut Down Medicine Store in Bauchi”>formal complaint submitted to the Nigeria Police Force, Dariye disclosed that he was deceived by two individuals who sold him a fake Polo wristwatch.
Dariye, who governed Plateau State from 1999 to 2007 and was later convicted on corruption charges, identified the suspects as Emmanuel Odogwu and Franklin Gideon, also known as Kelvin. The men falsely presented themselves as authorized representatives of the Polo brand.
The petition, dated November 19, 2024, and addressed to the Deputy Inspector General of Police at the Force Intelligence Department in Abuja, accuses the suspects of criminal conspiracy, breach of trust, and obtaining money by false pretenses.
“I hereby lodge a complaint against Emmanuel Odogwu and Franklin Gideon (alias Kelvin) for offenses including Criminal Conspiracy, Breach of Trust, Obtaining Money by False Pretences, and Fraud,” Dariye stated.
According to the ex-governor, the two men approached him in April 2024, claiming to be official Polo watch agents and persuaded him to purchase a luxury timepiece for $290,000.
“I made the payment as agreed, and they assured me the watch would be delivered. However, upon receipt, I discovered the Polo watch was counterfeit,” he explained.
Verification with the authentic Polo company confirmed the watch’s inauthenticity and revealed that the suspects had no affiliation with the brand.
Dariye’s efforts to locate the fraudsters proved unsuccessful. In a subsequent police statement dated November 22, 2024, he described the men as sophisticated con artists.
Further police investigations uncovered that Franklin Gideon’s true identity is Franklyn Ojo Jatto.
An affidavit sworn by police prosecutor Gregory Woje on February 14, 2025, revealed that Jatto converted the $290,000 into ₦250 million through a Bureau de Change and transferred the funds into a Keystone Bank account registered under his company, Franklyn’s Construction Nig. Ltd.
Additional inquiries showed that on April 23, 2024, Jatto used ₦145 million from the illicit proceeds to acquire a property at Sahara III Estate, Lokogoma, Abuja.
Authorities also discovered that Jatto controlled more than 16 bank accounts both within Nigeria and internationally, all linked to a single Biometric Verification Number (BVN).
Following these findings, a court order was secured to freeze all related accounts.
On May 8, 2025, Jatto reportedly moved ₦100 million into a fixed deposit account at Mutual Trust Bank, scheduled to mature in May 2026.
“If this Honourable Court does not grant this application, the Respondent may liquidate the property and dissipate the proceeds held in the bank,” the police affidavit cautioned.
In his petition, Dariye implored the police to act swiftly in bringing the perpetrators to justice.
“I earnestly request your esteemed office to locate and apprehend the suspects who remain at large, conduct a thorough investigation, and assist in recovering the $290,000 fraudulently taken from me,” he appealed.
Police officials have indicated they are pursuing interim forfeiture of the assets and funds connected to the suspects while the case proceeds.
This incident emerges years after Dariye himself was convicted on corruption charges.
In 2018, the former governor was sentenced to a decade in prison for criminal breach of trust, following a Supreme Court decision that upheld his conviction for misappropriating ₦1.16 billion in ecological funds during his tenure.
Although he was released in 2022 through a presidential pardon, Dariye’s case remains one of Nigeria’s most notable corruption scandals.
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