Five suspected fake EFCC operatives have been detained by police in the Delta State command. They are accused of breaking into the houses of unwitting victims, arresting them forcibly, and demanding large sums of money.
The State Command’s police public relations officer, Mr. Bright Edafe, stated in a statement that the suspects were apprehended in their hiding place in Asaba, the state’s capital.
The “END EFCC” protest in Ughelli, which resulted in the burning of over thirteen trucks and the destruction of property, was partially sparked by complaints received from members of the public, particularly from youths, alleging that EFCC operatives typically break into their homes at night, forcefully arrest them, take them away, and extort huge sums of money from them. However, the Command did not back down as intelligence gathered revealed that they may not be EFCC officers.
On November 16, 2022, the Command received another complaint from a victim (name withheld) whose home had been raided at night by the syndicate. They had scaled the fence to get inside the compound, broken into his apartment, and taken him away in a white Toyota Hiace bus after forcibly entering the building.
The victim added that when they reached the head bridge, which marks the border between the states of Anambra and Delta, they took his phones and other valuables worth three million, seven hundred thousand naira (N3,700,000) from him and made a cash transfer of two million, five hundred thousand naira (N2,500,000), warning him that they would return for him.
Five additional victims came forward and informed the Command that they had been defrauded of roughly fifteen million naira (#15,000,000). It soon became obvious that the actions were those of criminals posing as EFCC agents.
As a result, the Command Decoy Squad was instructed by Police Commissioner Ari Muhammed Ali to conduct an investigation, make sure they are apprehended, and guarantee they are charged. Following this instruction,
According to the statement, On November 23, 2022, Commander CP-Decoy ASP Julius Robinson, acting on credible information, led operatives on a sting operation, followed them to their hideout in a Hotel (name withheld) located in Asaba where they hibernate to plan their next operation and arrested five suspects.
