The Zone 16 Command of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) has arrested four Police personnel including an Inspector involved in the alleged abduction and extortion of N20 million from two suspected Internet fraudsters popularly known as ‘Yahoo Boys’ in Bayelsa State.
The arrested police personnel confessed that two civilian accomplices, one Eyi Mattthew Excel, and Mayor Goodluck Arab set up the Yahoo boys for extortion and kidnap.
The accused Policemen were said to have stormed the residence of the ‘Yahoo Boys’, who are indigenes of Bayelsa State and just returned from Ghana, and arrested them with blindfolds at an unknown hotel in Azikoro town on Monday.
The investigation further revealed that they threatened to kill the duo if they don’t part with N50 million, claiming someone from Ghana accused them of theft.
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The suspected fraudsters later succumbed and agreed to part with N20 million. They took the Policemen to two commercial banks and made two separate transfers of N7m and N13m to the Policemen respectively.
A friend of the victims, who learned about their ordeal, decided to report to the Nigeria Police Force headquarters through the number they exchanged, and it attracted the attention of the top hierarchy of Zonal Police headquarters.
According to a source close to the Command, the AIG Zone 16, Benjamin Okolo, ordered the arrest of the accused personnel and additional facts revealed that their action was without the knowledge of their superior officers.
“They were not members of a team. They work at various units but do shady deals together. In the past, they were nearly killed by some Military officers along Agbura road in Ogbia Local Government Area where they mounted illegal roadblocks to extort oil bunkers.
“The accused Police personnel have returned the N2.5million they each made from the Yahoo Boys extortion deal, while Eyi Mattthew Excel is reported to have returned his share of the deal but still at large, Mayor Goodluck Arab was arrested and granted bail but he has absconded,” the source stated.
However, confirming the incident in a statement on Wednesday, the Public Relations Officer (PRO), Zone 16 Command, SP Ikwo Kevin, admitted that some internet fraudsters known as Yahoo Boys defrauded some foreigners of a sum of $28,000, which errant Policemen went after them and got them arrested.
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“The fraudsters confessed to the crime and pleaded for leniency but instead of them to do the needful, they compromised by collecting monies from them, so when the AIG got wind of the matter, he ordered their arrest and detention.
“Information we got was that the Police got N10 million while the informant also got N10 million of his own share, but has eventually returned N7.5 million from his hideout and is still on the run.
“The monies they got were also recovered, while investigation is still on,” SP Ikwo stated
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