Commission Nabs 32 For Alleged Ponzi, Job Fraud In Akwa Ibom

Operatives of the Uyo Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have apprehended 32 suspects alleged to have defrauded unsuspecting Nigerians.

They reportedly fleeced them of cash through illicit Ponzi schemes and non-existent jobs.

The anti-graft agency said it had commenced investigations into the cases involving the suspects arrested at different locations in the state on Tuesday, October 14, 2025.

Dele Ojewale, head of Media and Publicity at the EFCC, explained that the arrests followed petitions regarding allegations of “Ponzi-style investments and employment scam at multiple locations in Uyo, the state capital.”

He named the suspects as Miracle Samuel, Christopher Samuel, Yohana Sabo, Ahmed Abdulahi Yarima, Reuben Ezekiel, Terfa Godwin, Zakurs Yakubu, Isah Jaafar Jagaba, Clement Nwakonobi, Rosemary Vifilo Yusuf Ataza, Francis Samuel, Tatah Fidelis, Emenike Ikechukwu, David Allawo, Danjuma Ibrahim, Blessing Seagod, Suleiman Saidu, Nuhu Bridget, Ebi Nwose and Anthony Fredrick.

The others are Mathew Satasi Zamani, Hassan Yakubu, Benjamin Obadiah, Stephen Joseph, Toma Peter, Samson Galadimma, Ochim Agnes, Mahmud Sufiyan, Ephraim Emmanuel, Kenneth Okonkwo, Jeremiah Emmanuel, and Abdulmajid Barde. Some of them are alleged to be the coordinators of the criminal gangs in various locations.

“Their arrest followed weeks of surveillance regarding the alleged criminal activities of the gang,” he explained.

According to a petitioner, a member of the syndicate named Sufiyan Mahmud, called his elder brother regarding a job opening at a non-existent oil and gas company purportedly called ‘TROPICANA OIL AND GAS COMPANY’, which the brother allegedly asked him (the petitioner) to apply for.

Following this call, the petitioner recalled that he had to abandon his fashion design business in Kogi state and arrived in Uyo on June 15, 2025. He was received by another member of the syndicate named Abdulmajid, who claimed to be the younger brother of the fictitious oil and gas company’s managing director.

The particulars of the case stated that the petitioner was subsequently taken to another location where he was interviewed by another member of the gang named Zamani Matthew, who cautioned him against asking too many questions, but to accept whatever he was told and to comply with whatever instructions he was given, one of which included a payment of N900,000, with an initial deposit that must not be less than N150,000.

After the interview, the petitioner was said to have been given a Q-Net form to fill out, instead of a Tropicana Oil and Gas Company form, and when he questioned the change in names, he was ordered to stop asking questions.

And when the petitioner asked about his promised accommodation, he was told that he must make an initial deposit before they can take him to the company’s lodge.

“So, I paid them N200,000 after my wife sold off some of our belongings and sent me the money. Then, they took me to the lodge, and I was shocked at what I saw. Shoes littered everywhere with a lot of people who looked malnourished and I joined them.

“After some time, they asked me to bring two people, which I did. After a while, I paid up the entire N900,000, while the two people I got paid N690,000 and N300,000, respectively.

“But the whole thing did not feel right because I came to Uyo for an oil and gas job, but I was now told that I would be advertising and marketing some Q-Net products and would be paid $100 USD weekly when I bring two people, which never happened.

“I became uncomfortable when they asked me to try and lure others in using Tropicana Oil and Gas Company, like they did to me. It was then that I told them that I cannot do that. So, I stopped eating their food, and that was when my brother and I started getting our senses back. We eventually left the place and found the lawyer who had helped us send the petition to EFCC,” the petitioner’s statement reads.

According to the EFCC, preliminary investigations “have so far shown that the syndicate collected funds from thousands of investors across Nigeria by making bogus promises of unrealistic returns on investments within short investment windows, thereby misrepresenting their activities to their victims as legitimate product marketing.”

The commission revealed that “during questioning, the coordinators of the different locations claimed that they were network marketers advertising various products, including drugs, which are currently being analysed by investigators for authenticity and regulatory compliance.”

Some of their victims identified so far included: Abubakar Umar Favour N1,000,000; Tanko Kasimu N800,000; Abubakar Abdurahman Jimba N900,000; Usman Faisu Adamu, N900,000; Korna Emmanuel, N950,000; Yakubu Musa, N160,000; Happiness Mathew, N100,000; Umbugu Akolo Revelation, N80,000; Hussani Aminu, N200,000; Samuel James, N200,000; Albert Gabriel, N250,000; Daniel Dorathy, N1,700,000; and Kasimu Lukman Haruna, N850,000.