The Rivers State Police Command says it has arrested a five-member syndicate allegedly involved in a N4.6 million fraud carried out through a house help in Port Harcourt.
The command said the arrests followed a complaint of fraud reported on April 26, 2026, by a Port Harcourt resident, Rosemary Vincent, who alleged that money was illegally withdrawn from her bank account through her house help.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Superintendent of Police Blessing Agabe, disclosed this in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.
According to the statement, preliminary investigations revealed that the house help, identified as 20-year-old Praise Sampson, was allegedly deceived by two men into boarding a taxi, where she was reportedly manipulated into handing over two Automated Teller Machine cards belonging to her employer.
The suspects were said to have used the cards to fraudulently withdraw a total of N4,607,199 from the victim’s bank account.
Agabe said operatives of the Choba Divisional Police Station, acting on the directive of the Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, immediately launched a coordinated operation that led to the arrest of the suspects.
Those arrested were identified as Praise Sampson, Michael Chijioke, Ndubuisi Jonah, Ehirim Ugonna, and Okeke Chizoba Daniel.
The police said preliminary findings linked the suspects to a series of criminal activities within the Port Harcourt metropolis, alleging that the group had been terrorising residents in the area.
The Commissioner of Police urged residents to remain vigilant, avoid unnecessary interactions with strangers, and never share sensitive banking information such as ATM cards or personal identification numbers.
Adepoju also advised members of the public to avoid boarding suspicious vehicles and to promptly report any unusual activities to security agencies.
The command reiterated its commitment to safeguarding lives and property across the state.
