Five fake officials of the Economic Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) have been arrested in Delta state for breaking into the houses of members of the public, especially youths at night and extorting over N21 million from victims.
The state police command gave the names of all male suspects as; Prince Allison, a 29-year-old leader of the syndicate claiming to be EFCC contract staff and resident of Port Harcourt; George Chisom Onyeweagu, 29-year-old resident in Owerri who operates the POS used to forcefully withdraw money from their victim’s account, and Duke Okoro aged 40 years residing in Asaba Delta State.
Others are Joseph Osinachi, 23-year-old resident in Lagos State and Onyocha Stanley a 32-year-old resident in Owerri.
A statement issued by the command’s public relations officer, DSP Bright Edafe on Friday, said the suspects were arrested in a hotel in Asaba where they were planning for their next operation.
The statement reads in part: “On 16/11/2022, the Command received another complaint from a victim (name withheld) whose house was stormed at night by the syndicate, they gained entrance into the compound by scaling the fence, broke into his apartment, forcefully abducted and took him away in a white Toyota Hiace bus.
“The victim further stated that on getting to head bridge (i.e the boundary between Delta and Anambra State), they forcefully collected his phones from him, other valuables worth three million, seven hundred thousand naira (#3,700,000), made cash transfer of two million, five hundred thousand naira (#2,500,000) and told him that they will come for him again.
“Five other victims also reported to the command and made statements of how they were robbed of about fifteen million naira (#15,000,000). It became clear that it is the activities of hoodlums pretending to be EFCC Operative”.
On interrogation, the statement added, the suspects admitted to have robbed different victims from various parts of the state.
“They also stated that they sometimes lodged their victims in a hotel for days until they succeed in extorting huge sums of money from them or force them to transfer money into their mobile POS.”
Meanwhile, the white operational Hummer bus, two locally manufactured EFCC jackets, a POS machine, and eight mobile phones have been recovered from the fake EFCC men who have been identified by the victims.
The command recalled that this kind of criminal activities partly gave rise to the “END EFCC” protest in Ughelli that led to the burning of over thirteen trucks and the destruction of properties.
Commissioner of police in the state, Ari Muhammed Ali however advised the public, especially the youths to rethink before taking laws into their own hands as some situations may have more to them than meets the eye.