How 2 Men Sold Fake Watch Worth $290,000 To Me & Used Proceeds To Buy Houses In Abuja – Joshua Dariye
Ex-Governor Joshua Dariye Petitions Police Over $290,000 Fake Luxury Watch Deal
Former Plateau State Governor, Joshua Dariye, has petitioned the Nigeria Police Force, alleging that two men defrauded him of $290,000 (about ₦400 million) through the sale of a counterfeit Polo luxury wristwatch.
In the petition addressed to the Deputy Inspector General of Police at the Force Intelligence Department, Abuja, Dariye accused the suspects of criminal conspiracy, breach of trust, and obtaining money by false pretence.
Dariye, who governed Plateau State from 1999 to 2007 and later served as a senator before his conviction for diverting ₦1.16 billion ecological funds, said the incident occurred in April 2024.
According to him, the men, who posed as representatives of a luxury watch company, persuaded him to purchase the wristwatch for $290,000. Suspicious after the deal, he contacted the official Polo Company and was informed that the watch was fake and that the men had no affiliation with the brand.
The former governor explained that he made several failed attempts to trace the alleged fraudsters but later discovered through discreet inquiries that they were “high-profile fraudsters.” Investigations reportedly revealed the real identity of one of the suspects, who converted the $290,000 into about ₦250 million through a Bureau de Change before transferring the money into his company’s account at Keystone Bank.
Dariye further alleged that the suspect spent ₦145 million of the proceeds on a property in Sahara III Estate, Lokogoma, Abuja, while another ₦100 million was fixed in a deposit account.
Police authorities are yet to issue an official statement on the petition as of press time.
