From Isaac Ojo Awka
Anambra State Government, through the Ministry of Women and Social Welfare, has arrested eight suspects for allegedly extorting more than eight hundred thousand Naira from women in Awka.
The arrest followed the directive of Gov Charles Soludo to flush out an NGO using government’s name to extort the sum of twenty thousand naira and above from unsuspecting individuals mostly women in Awka.
When the Women and Social Welfare Commissioner stormed the office complex of the Host Communities of Nigeria Anambra State Chapter located opposite Government House Awka, the suspects were seen registering victims with a first generation commercial bank staff with sum of ten thousand Naira, in addition to another levy of ten thousand Naira.
The Anambra State Ministry of Women Affairs also discovered that the arrested suspects had earlier recruited local government co-ordinators in all the 21 local government areas of the state.
A suspect (Names withheld) claimed that she was carrying out the directive of a discredited Minister, and that it was the Minister’s SSA that gave her the go ahead order to execute the project.
She also claimed that it was the Ministry of Oil and Gas and Industry that directed her to carry out the task.
One hundred and forty six thousand Naira being the money allegedly made from registration of a local government, some forms which had been filled and others yet to be filled, and a smart phone recovered at the scene were handed over to the police operatives.
Some of the victims who expressed shock over the discovery that the group is fake said that they actually borrowed the money they used to pay for registration.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs Ify Obinabo has directed the victims to come to her office to commence process of refund even as she assured
that her ministry will not relent until extortionists are flushed away from Anambra State.
