Not less than eight suspects have been arrested by the Anambra State Government through the Ministry of Women and Social Welfare, in collaboration with security operatives, for allegedly extorting over N800,000 from some women in Awka.
According to the PUNCH, a statement released on Wednesday by Chidimma Ikeanyionwu, Media Aide to the state Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Ify Obinabo, confirmed the incident.
The statement read, “The exercise came following the directive of the Executive Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, of an NGO, using the government’s name to extort the sum of N20,000 and above from unsuspecting individuals, primarily women in Awka.
“When the Ministry of Women and Social Welfare burst the office complex of the Host Communities of Nigeria, Anambra State Chapter, located opposite the Government House, Awka, it was discovered that the suspects were operating with a staff of a bank(name withheld) in opening a current account for the women who must pay the sum of N10,000 in cash and purchase the association’s form with another N10,000 making it N20,000 for one individual.
“It was also discovered that these suspects had earlier recruited local government coordinators in all the 21 local government areas of the state who they made in charge of the registration done in cash while the bank staff were in charge of opening accounts at the office complex.”
The statement disclosed that while questioning the leader of the association, Mrs. Nneka Igboka, on why she was extorting innocent people of their hard-earned money, the suspect said she was carrying out the directive of the suspended Humanitarian Minister, Beta Edu, before later stating that it was the minister’s SSA that gave her the go-ahead order to execute the project.
Speaking further, she stated, “When asked if the Commissioner for Oil, Gas, and Industry is aware of the operation, Mrs Igboka noted that she cannot inform the commissioner because it is not their business.
While the questioning was ongoing, the ministry’s staff could recover the sum of N146,500, the money made from local government registration, some forms that had been filled and others yet to be filled, and a smartphone handed over to the police.”
Some of the women who spoke to journalists, Maryann Obikwe from Ọgbaru LGA and Nneka from Oyi LGA, all said that they borrowed the money they used for the registration and account opening, claiming that they were told that the process is to help secure cooking jobs for them in schools.
Some other women, who spoke under anonymity, claimed that the suspect and her team assured them of oil money and school feeding jobs as well.
At the time of this report, eight suspects, including the items recovered, have been handed over to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Awka for further investigation. At the same time, the matter will be charged to court.
Obinabo has instructed that those whom the suspects defrauded should come to Prof. Dora Akunyili Women Development Center in Awka tomorrow morning to start the refund process.
Obinabo, who spoke to the victims, stated that the Soludo-led government will never collect money from anyone to give them jobs and urged members of the public always to be vigilant to avoid falling into the hands of scammers.
She further assured the victims that the state government would not relent until they were fully refunded, stating that the ministry had already started the refund process.
