Former Plateau State Governor and ex-senator, Chief Joshua Chibi Dariye, has filed a petition with the Nigeria Police Force after allegedly being swindled of $290,000 by two men who sold him a counterfeit luxury wristwatch.
In a formal complaint dated November 19, 2024, and addressed to the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Force Intelligence Department (FID), Garki, Abuja, Dariye accused two suspects identified as Emmanuel Odogwu and Franklin Gideon (alias Kelvin) of criminal conspiracy, breach of trust, obtaining money under false pretences, and fraud.
According to the petition, the incident occurred in April 2024 when the suspects, posing as representatives of a luxury brand, offered him a Polo wristwatch valued at $290,000. Believing them to be genuine, Dariye said he made the payment, and the watch was delivered shortly after.
However, he later became suspicious of the authenticity of the product and decided to approach the official Polo Company for verification. It was then he learned that the wristwatch was counterfeit and that the sellers had no affiliation with the brand.
“I humbly wish to complain against one Emmanuel Odogwa and one Franklin Gideon (aka Kelvin) for Criminal Conspiracy, Breach of Trust, Obtaining Money by False Pretences and Fr@ud. I paid them the money and they promised to supply same. They did supply the Polo wrist but I discovered it was fake,” Dariye wrote in his petition.
The development has added another chapter to the chequered public life of the former governor. Dariye, who governed Plateau State from 1999 to 2007, was previously convicted on charges of criminal breach of trust.
In March 2021, the Supreme Court upheld his 10-year prison sentence for breach of trust but set aside a separate conviction for misappropriation of public funds, which carried a lesser penalty.
The judgment, delivered by a five-member panel of justices led by Justice Mary Odili, affirmed his conviction at both the trial court and Court of Appeal levels.
Police authorities are reportedly investigating the case, while calls have intensified for greater scrutiny of luxury goods transactions in Nigeria, where cases of fraud linked to fake high-end products are on the rise.
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