The police said they recovered 18 pieces of 25kg bags of rice which were fraudulently obtained.
The police in Enugu, southeast Nigeria say their operatives arrested a 45-year-old fake philanthropist identified as Nnamani Joseph.
The police said they recovered 18 pieces of 25kg bags of rice which were fraudulently obtained.
The Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, in a statement issued on Sunday, said but for the swift response of police operatives serving in the Ogui Police Division of the state command, Joseph would have successfully defrauded a businessman of the 18 bags of rice valued.
The rice was valued at about N400,000 and it was obtained under the guise of buying and using the rice for charity at a church.
The police spokesperson said that on February 14, Valentine's Day, Joseph went to the premises of a church (name withheld) in Ogui, Enugu, from where he called the businessman (name withheld) on the phone. He requested 18 pieces of 25kg bags of rice under the pretence of wanting to use the same for charity to the church.
He said that the businessman accordingly supplied the rice and unsuspectingly followed Joseph to the bank to receive his payment through bank transfer.
However, in the course of making the payment, Joseph secretly left the bank, went back to the church, and took the bags of rice to an unknown destination.
Ndukwe said, “The suspect, however, could not run or hide for so long, as the Police Operatives, upon receiving the report, embarked on an intelligence-driven investigation, which led to his arrest on January 20, 2024, at Enene, Enugu.
“Eight out of the 18 25kg bags of rice were recovered from him, after he had re-bagged and sold the other bags at Oye Emene Market, Enugu.
“The suspect and his cohorts will surely have a date with the court of law once investigations are concluded.
“The citizenry, particularly businessmen and women, are hereby advised to always be security conscious and wary of whom and how they transact in such circumstances, to avoid falling prey to fraudulent suspects like Nnamani.”
“Additionally, while the investigation lasts, person(s) who may have suffered a similar act of fraud by the suspect, are encouraged to report to the mentioned Police Division to volunteer relevant information,” Ndukwe said.