Police arrest three suspected fraudsters in Akwa Ibom – Official

The police said they rescued an 81-year-old man from the fraudsters.

The Police Command in Akwa Ibom State said on Wednesday that it has rescued an 81-year-old man from the suspected fraud syndicate operating in Uyo and its environs.

Timfon John, the police spokesperson in Akwa Ibom, disclosed this in a statement to reporters in Uyo.

Ms John, a deputy superintendent of police, said the command arrested three suspected members of the syndicates during an operation on Tuesday.

She said the arrest followed a report from a concerned citizen about the suspects’ activities, who specialise in using tricycles to deceive members of the public.

“The suspects reportedly used an operational tricycle to lure and convey victims, after which they employed deceptive and diabolical means to dispossess them of their monies and other valuables.

“Acting swiftly on the information, operatives of the Command swung into action and arrested three suspects,” Ms John said.

She said the command’s operatives recovered the syndicate’s operational tricycle, registration number UFG-886-QA.

She added that the suspects had confessed to the crime, admitting they had fraudulently obtained money and property from several individuals in Uyo and its environs.

Ms John said that an investigation was ongoing to identify and reach out to other victims, and to arrest other members of the syndicate.

She assured the public of the command’s commitment to the safety of lives and property and urged residents to continue providing timely and credible information to the police for prompt action.

PREMIUM TIMES reported on Monday that the police in Akwa Ibom arrested suspects at a cult initiation at a secondary school in Uyo.

The arrest took place on 1 February, at about 4:30 p.m., following credible intelligence that a group of suspected cultists were conducting initiation activities at a secondary school along Oron Road in Uyo.

According to the police, when the operatives arrived at the scene, the suspects fled on sighting them and abandoned a red mini-bus. The operatives chased the suspects and arrested two of them.

“Items recovered at the scene include one axe, one brown calabash, one bottle of Lord’s alcoholic drink, different types of incense, coloured handkerchiefs and one Neo Black Axe,” the police said.

(NAN)