The Anambra State Government, through the Ministry of Women and Social Welfare, has arrested eight suspects for allegedly extorting over N800,000 from women in Awka.
Chidimma Ikeanyionwu, the Media Aide to the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Ify Obinabo, shared this information in a statement on Wednesday.
The statement explained that the arrests followed a directive from Governor Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, targeting an NGO that was misusing the government’s name to extract payments of N20,000 or more from unsuspecting women.
During a raid at the office of the Host Communities of Nigeria, Anambra State Chapter, authorities discovered that the suspects were working with a bank employee (name withheld) to open accounts for women. Each victim was required to pay N10,000 in cash and another N10,000 for an association form, totaling N20,000.
It was found that these suspects had previously recruited local government coordinators across all 21 local government areas to manage cash registrations, while the bank staff handled account openings.
When questioned, the leader of the association, Mrs. Nneka Igboka, claimed she was following directives from the suspended Humanitarian Minister, Beta Edu. She later stated that the minister’s Senior Special Assistant had authorized the operation.
Igboka asserted she could not inform the Commissioner for Oil, Gas, and Industry about the operation, as it was not their business.
During the investigation, officials recovered N146,500, registration forms, and a smartphone, which were handed over to the police.
Several women, including Maryann Obikwe from Ọgbaru LGA and Nneka from Oyi LGA, reported borrowing money for registration, believing it would help them secure cooking jobs in schools. Others, speaking anonymously, claimed they were promised oil money and school feeding jobs.
As of this report, the eight suspects, along with the recovered items, have been turned over to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Awka for further investigation, and the case will proceed to court.
Commissioner Obinabo instructed victims to visit the Prof. Dora Akunyili Women Development Center in Awka to begin the refund process. She emphasized that the Soludo-led government will not demand money for job placements and urged the public to remain vigilant against scams.
