A coordinated operation by Oba Division police and local vigilantes has dismantled a criminal syndicate preying on vulnerable patients in Anambra State. The six suspects were apprehended Tuesday evening in a raid on an abandoned construction site in Isu village, Oba community, where investigators discovered four gravely ill individuals being used as props for organized begging.
Authorities identified the arrested persons as Doris Basil, Peter Ezedike, Susan Monday, Ogechi Okoro, Solomon Sunday, and Kenneth Achi. Officers recovered six mobile phones and N82,400 believed to be proceeds from their operations. The rescued victims—suffering from advanced conditions including brain tumors and metastatic breast cancer—received emergency medical attention pending transfer to proper healthcare facilities and eventual reunification with families.
Anambra Police Commissioner Ikioye Orutugu denounced the exploitation as a violation of Section 419 of the Criminal Code, emphasizing that perpetrators face up to three years imprisonment. Investigators are scrutinizing relatives of the ailing victims to determine possible complicity in the scheme. Police spokesperson confirmed the suspects will be prosecuted following conclusion of ongoing inquiries into what appears to be a sophisticated network capitalizing on human suffering for financial gain.
