Six Suspects Who Hired Sick Persons to Beg for Alms Apprehended

Six suspects who allegedly hired sick persons to beg for alms from members of the public were arrested by a Joint Security Team comprising Police from Oba Divisional Police Headquarters and Anambra Vigilante Operatives on 16th April 2025 at 6.30 pm.

The suspects, 28-year-old Doris Basil, 38-year-old Peter Ezedike, 27-year-old Susan Monday, 27-year-old Ogechi Okoro, 29-year-old Solomon Sunday and 29-year-old Kenneth Achi were arrested during a raid at an uncompleted building at Isu village, Oba.

According to a statement by SP Tochukwu Ikenga on Thursday, operatives also recovered six mobile phones and Eighty-two thousand, four hundred naira (#82,400) in denominations of #50, #100 and #200 Naira notes and took in safe custody four ill persons from appearance suffering from brain tumour, breast cancer, and other terminal sicknesses.

“The Operatives also provided first aid for the sick persons and sought higher intervention for their treatment and safe return to their various homes.

“The Commissioner of Police CP Ikioye Orutugu noted that Section 419 of the Nigerian Criminal Code Act deals with obtaining property by false pretence, also known as “419 fraud”.

“It is a felony that carries a potential penalty of three years imprisonment and expresses concern about the level of moral decay of individuals who take undue advantage of sick persons. He further directs the immediate interrogation of the relatives of those sick persons to ascertain their culpability.”

Meanwhile, all the suspects would be charged in Court after the investigations.