Nigerian police arrest suspects in separate fraud investigations

Police in Delta State have arrested three individuals suspected of running an appointment scam involving the impersonation of high-ranking government officials. The suspects, identified as Aghogho Okpogbodu, Moses Exist, and Benjamin Owah, allegedly used caller-identification technology to mimic the identities of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, and several Delta State officials.

One victim, a community leader, was reportedly defrauded of ₦5.475 million after the suspects promised to facilitate his appointment as a community President-General. Authorities recovered several items believed to be linked to the fraudulent activities during the investigation.

In a separate incident in Cross River State, a suspect was apprehended for allegedly stealing bank customers’ PINs at ATM locations in Calabar. The individual reportedly targeted customers seeking assistance with machines, using cardless transaction modes to withhold cards while observing victims enter their passwords. The suspect allegedly memorized the PINs to facilitate subsequent fraudulent withdrawals and transfers.