The Inspector Generator of Police (IGP) concerned with the rise on incidences of cybercrime has put to effective use the Technical Human capacity of the Force to put an end to this rising trend.
The 2017 diet of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates was held throughout Nigeria and indeed, in the other four (4) member countries of the Council, namely; Ghana, Sierra-Leon, Liberia and the Gambia, between 20th February and 12th May 2017.
At the commencement of the examination, the Council observed that some individuals were operating criminally inclined “rouge’ websites, under different names, soliciting for candidates sitting the examination, to pay money into their bank accounts, in exchange for the provision of worked solutions/answers to questions of subjects being taken on any particular day as the examination was in progress.
Consequently, upon receipt of a petition by the Authorities of West African Examination Council (WAEC), alleging that some fraudsters were operating illegal websites under different names soliciting for candidates in the February/May 2017 West African Examination Council (WAEC) to pay certain amount of money into bank account in exchange for posting of worked solutions and answers via whatsapp at about 20 or 30 minutes into the commencement of each paper and in the process fraudulently and dubiously dispossessed their unsuspecting victims of their hard earned money.
Against this background, personnel of the Inspector General of Police Monitoring Unit swung into action, after painstaking and meticulous investigation that spanned several weeks arrested the following suspects:
SUSPECTS:
i. Chijoke Onwuachu Modestus ‘M’, a 300 level student of Computer Science Micheal Okpara University, Umudike was arrested at Umuiahia and confessed to have collected ₦400 per paper from numerous candidates, to the tune of seventy thousand naira (#70,000)
ii. Samuel Odinaka Onwurah age 20 years old ‘M’ was arrested at Kutunku extension layout in Gwagwalada, Abuja and has collected the sum of ninety thousand naira (#90,000) from various victims.
iii. Patrick Uchechukwu Nwodo ‘M’ 30 years old was trailed and picked up at Abakpa, Nike in Enugu. He has also collected the sum of forty thousand naira (#40,000) from unsuspecting victims.
iv. Okon Effiong Joseph ‘M’ who is 20 years old 200 level student of Public Health Department University of Calabar, he was arrested at Calabar. He has collected the sum of one hundred and twenty thousand naira (#120,000) from different candidates
The suspects will be charged to court on completion of investigation, while effort is being intensified to arrest other operators of these illegal/rogue websites still at large.
Meanwhile, members of the Public are assured of the renewed commitment and dedication of the Force to stamp out criminality throughout the country.
Parents and Guardians are advised to prevail on their children and wards not to patronize these rogues’ websites.