Suspected job racketeer, one-chance robbers, others nabbed
The FCT Police Command has arrested 37 suspects for various crimes including a suspected job racketeer, one-chance robbers and ATM cards theft syndicate.
The Commissioner of Police in FCT, Bala Ciroma, made the disclosure while addressing journalists on the arrests of some suspects by the command in last one month.
He said the suspected job racketeer, one Egbunu Vincent Onuche, 25, was arrested on May 7 after allegedly collecting N200,000 from one Ijeoma Ebenje with a promise to secure her employment with the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).
Ciroma said that upon interrogation, the suspect admitted to the crime and explained that one Alhaji Sanusi Musa told him that if he had anybody looking for employment that he could assist.
The CP said, “Onuche then informed his friend Ekene, Ijeoma’s brother who then told her about the offer. She was asked to pay N200, 000 which she did and even got a confirmation email from the fraudsters created Immigration E-mail Address.
“He said 16 other people paid him the
sums ranging from N200,000 to N300, 000 for employment into the Nigeria Prison Service and replacement into the NIS.
“He explained that crisis started when on the date of the said interview and collection of appointment letters, one Mamman that is supposed to facilitate the process asked for additional N450,000 naira collectively from all of them.”
Ciroma said the command also arrested two suspected “one-chance” robbers and five other suspected armed robbers in different areas of the city. He added that three suspected ATM cards swapping syndicate and five of their collaborators were also arrested.
On how the syndicate operated, Ciroma said the suspects “stated that on that fateful day the victim went to withdraw at the ATM and was finding it difficult. He (victim) then asked them for assistance in the process they swapped his card with their own fake card. On how they got his pin number, the CP said the suspects confessed that their gang leader stood directly behind the victim and since the card is fake, he had to enter the pin severally.
“They then moved to the filling station on the Kubwa Express way where they have an accomplice by name Henry who used POS to transfer the money into their account and remitted cash equivalent to the company.”
He said other suspects arrested include one car thief, seven drug dealers, five phones and bags snatchers and eight others who were arrested during a raid with hard drugs and fake dollars. He said investigation is ongoing to arrest fleeing members of the various gangs while those arrested would soon be charged to court.