Deltas State Police Operatives has arrested five men in the Capital city Asaba, for allegedly breaking into people’s houses and extorting them under pretence of Economic and financial crime commission (EFCC) officers.
This follows after the police was contacted on 16th November,by a victim whose house was bursted into at night by the alleged fake EFCC officers.
It was gathered that 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 police said that the victim stated that on getting to head bridge (i.e the boundary between Delta and Anambra State), the syndicates 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.
DSP Bright Edafe further said that 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 Operatives”.
Let it be known that there has been series of complaints from youths as regards the EFCC operators breaking into their houses at night and carting away their phones and properties,this gave rise to the “END EFCC” protest in Ughelli.
Reacting to the consecutive robbery system, the the Commissioner of Police CP Ari Muhammed Ali FCIA, PSC+, directed the Command Decoy Squad to investigate, ensure that they are arrested and brought to book.
However, the five men who were nabbed under the operation carried out by Commander CP-Decoy ASP Julius Robinson, were Prince Allison ‘m’ age 29yrs, resident in port Harcourt and the leader of the syndicate claiming to be EFCC contract staff in Portharcourt, (2) George Chisom Onyeweagu ‘m’ 29yrs resident in Owerri and he operates the POS that they use to forcefully withdraw money from their victim’s account, (3) Duke Okoro ‘m’ age 40years resident in Asaba Delta State, (4)Joseph Osinachi ‘m’ age 23yrs, resident in Lagos State, (5) Onyocha Stanley ‘m’ age 32yrs, resident in Owerri.
“The suspects have 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 sum of money from them or force them to transfer money into their mobile POS. Their white operational Hummer bus, two locally manufactured EFCC jackets, a POS machine and eight mobile phones were recovered from them
“”Six of their victims have identified them as the syndicate who broke into their houses under the guise of being EFCC Operatives. Investigation is ongoing, DSP Bright disclosed.
The youths were further advised by the police command” to have a rethink before taking laws into their hands as some situations may have more to it than it meets the eyes”
He assures residents in the State that justice will be served, and will ensure that the culprits are duly prosecuted.
