In a coordinated sting operation, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested 33 individuals suspected of involvement in internet fraud in Port Harcourt.
The suspects were apprehended at their hideouts in the Iwofe and Ogboro areas of the city.
According to a statement from the EFCC, the operation was based on credible intelligence concerning the suspects’ activities.
The anti-graft agency recovered several incriminating items, including various mobile phones, laptops, boxes of counterfeit United States dollars, and fake Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) stamps. Additionally, fake Customs, airport clearance, DHL, and FedEx stamps, as well as two cars, were seized from the suspects.
Speaking on the arrests, Dele Oyewale, the EFCC’s Head of Media & Publicity, said, “The operation was carried out as part of the Commission’s ongoing efforts to combat cybercrime and related offenses in Nigeria. The suspects were apprehended in connection with internet fraud schemes, and we are committed to ensuring justice is served.”
Oyewale further noted that the suspects will face legal prosecution upon the conclusion of the investigations.
“All those arrested will be charged to court as soon as our investigations are completed,” he added.
The EFCC reiterated its determination to curb internet fraud and other financial crimes across the country, urging the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities to the Commission.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
