EFCC Arrests Four Uniport Students For Alleged $111,500 Internet Fraud

Four students of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) have been arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged internet fraud.

The students were arrested on Thursday in their hideout at Chibiak Avenue, Elenpranwo, Ada George, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

EFCC said the suspects allegedly defrauded 15 victims of $111,500 (One Hundred and Eleven Thousand, Five Hundred United States Dollars).

The anti-graft agency gave the names of the suspects as Prince Hyacinth; Rex  Emadifie  Oghene, Odili Ifeayi and Uduak Samuel Williams. 

According to the commission, it recovered some items from the suspects upon their arrest.

The items are one Tecno Spark 4 belonging to Prince Hyacinth; one Iphone 11 Pro Max; two Infinix Hot  and one apple Laptop belonging to Odili Ifeayi; one Iphone 7 and two Iphone 11 belonging to Rex Emadifie  Oghene; and one iphone 8+, one Acer Laptop and one HP Laptop belonging Uduak Samuel Williams.

The spokesman of the commission, Dele Oyewale, disclosed the nature of fraud the suspects are into.

Oyewale said: “Preliminary investigation established that the suspects are majorly involved in a romance scam and also act as pickers for an organized ring of fraudsters.

“While Prince Hyacinth parades himself as a Spain-based marine engineer to bait his victims, Rex Emadifie Oghene poses as a rig engineer based in the United States. The two other suspects, Odili Ifeayi and Uduak Samuel Williams present themselves as rig/marine engineers to defraud their victims.”

He added that the suspects would be charged to court as soon as investigation was concluded.

Recall that the EFCC had in July arrested a student of the same university, Kenneth Gift, his girl friend, Dandy Spice, and mother, Dorah Aninah, for suspected internet fraud in Agbor, Delta State.