The Rivers State Police Command has dismantled a fake job syndicate in Igwuruta, Ikwerre Local Government Area, rescuing 16 victims in the process.
According to The PUNCH, the State Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, made this known during a press briefing at the Command’s Headquarters in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.
Disu explained that the syndicate was uncovered after police operatives responded to a distress call from concerned residents who suspected a hostage situation in the area.
The suspects posed as employees of a company and lured unsuspecting job seekers with fake employment promises.
“The syndicate defrauded victims of significant amounts of money, ranging from N650,000 to N850,000, under the guise of securing jobs in the Oil and Gas sector,” Disu said.
According to the Commissioner, the operation took place on August 29, 2024, when officers from the Command’s Octopus Strike Force acted on credible information.
The team raided a compound in Igwuruta and arrested a suspect, identified as Chukwudi Okoli, who claimed to work for a company named Qjoseansel International Global Limited.
“During the operation, we successfully rescued 16 victims, including 13 males and two females, all of whom had fallen prey to the syndicate’s fraudulent scheme,” Disu added. “These individuals had each paid between N650,000 and N850,000 after being promised high-paying jobs in the Oil/Gas industry, with payments in US dollars.”
Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects contacted their victims randomly, inviting them to Port Harcourt for fake interviews.
After extorting money from the job seekers, they were held in a facility and subjected to training designed to further the scam by convincing others to believe in similar false job offers, promising earnings of USD 450 per week.
“New recruits were required to pay an additional USD 25 for registration, and an online platform was set up to generate usernames and passwords for them,” Disu disclosed.
Recovered items from the syndicate’s base included mobile phones, laptops, industrial fans, generators, and office furniture, all of which were used to give the fake operation a sense of legitimacy.
In a related development, the Rivers State Police Command also announced the arrest of a suspect involved in child abduction in Enugu State.
The suspect, Prince Ogbonda, aged 24, was apprehended in Port Harcourt after attempting to traffic a teenage girl.
“On September 13, 2024, our operatives arrested Ogbonda, who had abducted a 16-year-old girl from Enugu and brought her to Port Harcourt,” Disu said. “The victim was rescued and has since undergone medical treatment.”
