Rivers
RSG Nabs Man For Impersonation At Verification Exercise
The Rivers State Government has nabbed a man who impersonated his late brother in the ongoing Rivers civil servants verification exercise.
The government also confirmed the arrest of many other impersonators in the ongoing exercise.
Acting Head of Service, Rivers State, Dr. Inyingi Brown, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen while parading the impersonator at the state secretariat in Port Harcourt.
The man, Mr. Nnodim Uzoma, who hails from Igbodo Etche, in Etche Local Government Area of the State, confessed to newsmen that he actually impersonated his late brother, Nnodim Gift Azubuike, who died in April, 2025.
He claimed that the late Azubuike, a teacher in Umdi Primary School, Igbodo, Etche, died on the 27th of April 2025 and was buried on the 11th of July 2025.
“The truth about it is that my brother, Nnodim Gift, died on the 27th of April this year and burial took place on the 10th and 11th of July.
“So, he left six children and the burden is so much on me. So, when I was told that verification was going on, I decided to come without having knowledge that I will be arrested”, the victim said.
Uzoma, who admitted having fallen foul of the law, however, pleaded for forgiveness and mercy as nobody told him of the implications of his actions.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Government says it would investigate the level of collision of Mr. Uzoma with the headmistress of Umdi Primary School, Igbodo Etche.
Dr. Brown, who disclosed this in an interview with newsmen, also said the law will be made to take its course as far as the matter was concerned.
“The man will be prosecuted for impersonation,. The law is very clear on that.
“There are procedures in the law for impersonation. The criminal code has penalties for impersonation and the penalties will apply to whoever impersonates”, she said.
The Acting Head of Service said since the commencement of the verification exercise, several cases of impersonations have been uncovered.
“Since we began this exercise, verifying civil servants, we have caught so many impersonators and today we wanted Rivers people to see one of them.
“This young man here came to pass through the exercise to impersonate his late brother but was caught at the venue, and so we decided to bring him to your knowledge so that you can ask him questions why he did it.
“He is begging for mercy now but people don’t know what we are seeing in this exercise. We know that there are some people that are late and people are colluding and collecting their pay.
“That is what is happening. His brother died and because he has his ATM card, they are collecting his salaries.
“This is what verification does. It throws up people who are no longer alive”, she stated.
Brown said the purpose of the verification exercise was “first to know the people that are active and working for us, to also know the people that are no longer with us.
“People that may have passed on through death or may have left the service”.
She expressed regret that instead of reporting to the government those who have passed on with the view to processing their death benefits, people are colluding to collect their salaries, warning of dire consequences for anyone caught in such acts.
By: John Bibor