The operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested a syndicate of fake State House staff in Abuja for alleged criminal conspiracy, false representation, and employment scam.

The suspects were arrested separately following an investigation on petitions by various victims who were promised jobs as “Directors General” at the Ministry of Communication, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), and other ministries.

The suspects are Augustine Enamegbai Umogboi, who claimed to be a former staff of the Presidential Villa; Eleojo Josephine Idakwo, a fake staff of the Ministry of Information in the Registry Unit; and Kingsley Onuh who also claimed that he just concluded his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

Others are Omata Sunday and Eljayon Nigeria Limited, one of the companies whose bank accounts they were using to get money from their victims.

The EFCC spokesman, Dele Oyewale, in a statement on Friday, June 21, 2024, said the suspects also had different account numbers of different banks through which they were receiving the money amounting to N22,350,000 from different victims.

According to him, Umogboi was arrested on June 16, 2024, Idakwo was arrested on April 30, 2024, while Onuh was arrested on April 3, 2024.

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Oyewale added that many victims narrated their bitter experiences in a series of petitions written to the EFCC.

A sample of such a petition read: “We were reliably informed that sometime around April 2023, Mr Gabriel Kingsley Onuh notified our clients about job opportunities in the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC). With support of Eleojo Josephine Idakwo who claimed to work in NNPCL, they undertook to assist Mr Toheeb Adesina and Miss Asabe Gambo to secure employment in NNPCL, as well as Mr Tertindi Reginald Igbayue in FRSC, subject to the payment of a fee. It was agreed that the payment would be in two tranches-initials part payment and the balance payment when the employment letter is ready and when documentation of credentials commences.”

Another victim in a petition written to the EFCC stated: “Sometime in May 2023, one of my friends,  Sunday Omata approached me that one Eleojo Josephine Idakwu told him that their office in the Presidential Villa is responsible for screening applicants for the appointment of ‘Directors General’ for all Ministries and Parastatals in the current government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.  As such they want me to apply for the position of Director General in the Ministry of Communication. She however gave me a condition that I must pay them N5 million before they can start the process. Since it involves a big office, they cannot do all the contacts for free and their boss in the office requires some money too. Since then, they have been requesting all sorts of money from me with various accounts.”

The EFCC spokesperson noted that the suspects have given useful information to the anti-graft agency, adding that they will be charged to court upon the conclusion of the investigation.

The Star