An internet fraud academy has been uncovered in the Benue State capital, Makurdi, according to an announcement by the state’s police command.
News About Nigeria gathered that the discovery was made following a special operation aimed at cracking down on criminal activities in the region.
Parading the suspects on Tuesday at the Command Headquarters in Makurdi, State Police Commissioner Steve Yabanet detailed the investigation that led to the raid.
He explained that police detectives were dispatched after receiving a tip-off about a fraudulent training centre operating in the Jerome Hwande Street, Akpa-Quarters area of Makurdi.
“Police detectives were detailed to investigate the case, and on May 14, 2024, at about 6 am, the following suspects were arrested at the house: 23-year-old Terpase Denmodi and 24-year-old Avalumun Ayangekaa,” Yabanet said.
Items recovered from the suspects included seven HP laptops, one Apple notebook, one Canon printer, 15 Ghanaian cedi notes, two international passports, and assorted clothes, among other items.
The suspects reportedly confessed to their involvement in internet fraud, revealing that most of their victims were foreigners.
They also admitted to training students in the art of online fraud, with the trainees sharing the proceeds of their illicit activities with their mentors.
In addition to this raid, the special operation by the Command also led to the arrest of 31 suspected members of various criminal gangs operating within the state.
These arrests were made for a range of crimes, including internet fraud, robbery, cultism, and kidnapping.
Among those paraded were eight other suspected internet fraudsters arrested at a Makurdi hotel, as well as three members of a kidnapping gang operating in the area.
Commissioner Yabanet disclosed that the operation had also led to the busting of a kidnapping ring on May 6, 2024, along the Makurdi-Naka road.
The gang had blocked the highway, robbing commercial motorbike operators and kidnapping a victim for a N2 million ransom, which was paid before the victim’s release.
During this incident, one of the victims raised an alarm that resulted in the arrest of 21-year-old Mohammed Ibrahim, who could not escape with his colleagues.
Ibrahim confessed to the crime, stating that his gang regularly kidnapped people along Naka Road to extort ransom payments.
