Former Plateau Governor, Joshua Dariye, has petitioned the police, alleging that Emmanuel Odogwu and Franklin Gideon (alias Kelvin) defra¥ded him of $290,000 with a counterfeit Polo wristwatch.
“I humbly wish to complain… for Cr+minal Conspiracy, Breach of Trust, Obtaining Money by False Pretences and Fra¥d,” he wrote in a petition dated November 19, 2024.
He said, “I paid them the money and they promised to supply same. They did supply the Polo wrist but I discovered it was fake.” Dariye later confirmed from Polo Company that the watch was counterfeit and pleaded, “I kindly request your esteemed office to track and arrest the suspects… and help recover the $290,000.”
Investigations later unmasked one suspect as Franklyn Ojo Jatto, who allegedly converted the funds to ₦250m, bought a property in Abuja with ₦145m, and fixed ₦100m in a deposit account. Police froze over 16 bank accounts linked to him. The affidavit cautioned: “Unless this Honourable Court grants this application, the Respondent may dispose of the property and spend the proceeds of cr+me in the bank.”
Dariye, a former senator, was previously jailed for diverting ₦1.16bn ecological funds, with his conviction upheld by the Supreme Court in 2021.