Operatives of the Enugu State police command serving in the Ogui Police Division of have arrested one Nnamani Joseph, aged 45, for allegedly defrauding a businessman of 18 bags of rice valued at about four hundred thousand Naira (N400,000.00).
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the spokesman of the state police command, Daniel Ndukwe, Nnamani had taken the 18 bags of rice under the guise of buying and using the rice for charity at a church.
Ndukwe disclosed that the incident which happened on February 14, 2024, being Valentine’s Day, saw the suspect go to the premises of a church (name withheld) in Ogui, Enugu, from where he called the businessman (names withheld) on the phone, requesting 18 bags of 25 kg bags of rice valued with the pretense of wanting to use the same for charity to the church.
“The businessman accordingly supplied the rice and unsuspectingly followed Nnamani to the bank to receive his payment through bank transfer. But in the course of effecting the payment, Nnamani secretly left the bank, went back to the church, and made away with the bags of rice to an unknown destination.
“The suspect, however, could not run or hide for so long, as the police operatives, upon receiving the report, embarked on an intelligence-driven investigation, which led to his arrest on February 20, 2024, at Emene, Enugu”, he said.
Ndukwe added that eight out of the 18 25 kg bags of rice were recovered from him, after he had re-bagged and sold the other bags at Oye Emene Market, Enugu.
He further stated that the suspect and his cohorts would surely have a date with the court of law once investigations were concluded.
The police therefore advised the citizenry, particularly businessmen and women, to always be security conscious and wary of whom and how they transact in such circumstances, to avoid falling prey to fraudulent suspects like Nnamani.
Also, person(s) who may have suffered a similar act of fraud by the suspect, were encouraged to report to the mentioned police division to volunteer relevant information, while the investigation lasts.
