By Tina Amanda
One Philip Odereghi, an employment scam syndicate who allegedly defrauded the sum of two hundred thousand (200,000) to four hundred and fifty thousand (450,000) naira each from some people with the promise of giving them employment into the Rivers State University has been arrested.
The suspect was arrested on Tuesday 17 October 2023, inside the premises of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Choba, after months of trailing.
National Coordinator of the Centre for Basic Rights Protection And Accountability Campaign, a civil society organization, Prince Wiro, said the issue of alleged fraud came to the attention of the organization last year December and since then they have been monitoring the activities of the suspect.
Wiro disclosed that on Tuesday, 17 October 2023, an executive member of the organization acting on credible intelligence sighted the suspect inside the premises of UPTH and raised an alarm which attracted the hospital security that arrested the suspect.
He called on Rivers State University to make a statement on the claims made by the suspect that he is working with some top personnel in the institution to give employment to people.
The Rights Advocate also demanded a thorough investigation into the matter and if the suspect is found culpable he should be made to face justice.
One of the employment scammed victims Otavaino Stephens, who spoke to our Correspondent on behalf of others, said the suspect Philip told them he worked with Rivers State University directly, adding that was what gave them confidence to work with him.
“We were meant to pay 250,000 naira each to get the Job since he is working with the University directly. With confidence that he was working with the School, he told us to transfer the money to him.
“Some of us paid cash, some paid through transfer. Myself and other persons I am aware of those I brought and he collected 200,000 naira each from us.
“The ones I am aware of, we are more than fifteen persons, all this while we have been waiting for the employment to come, to no avail. We have been calling him and he will tell us to hold on to next month, things like that.
“We paid him money since last Year March/April. We want him to pay us all the money that he has taken for the job he promised to give us that has not been given to us.
“He collected from some persons 450,000, some 300,000 others 250,000 naira each”.
As at press time the suspect has been taken to Choba Police Station after he was handed over to the Police by the campus internal security.
