EXCITING NEWS: TNG WhatsApp Channel is LIVE…
Subscribe for FREE to get LIVE NEWS UPDATE. Click here to subscribe!
The University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) has renounced four students arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for alleged involvement in cyber fraud.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports this was contained in a statement released on Friday by Sam Kpenu, the university’s Public Relations Officer.
According to the statement, the university did not find the names of the four students arrested by the EFCC on Thursday in its record book.
“The University of Port Harcourt has been drawn to a media report on the arrest of four persons by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission erroneously reported to be students at the University of Port Harcourt.
“The said persons were arrested for their alleged involvement in cybercrime. The authorities of the university wish to state categorically that the persons arrested are not students at the University of Port Harcourt; that university has gone through its record and no such names are found in the record book of the University of Port Harcourt.
“The University of Port Harcourt is not a breeding ground for criminals but a towering citadel of learning that turns out polished products who are making waves all around the globe,” the statement read.
EFCC said the quartet, who allegedly defrauded 15 victims of $111,500 are Prince Hyacinth, Rex Emadifie Oghene, Odili Ifeayi and Uduak Samuel Williams.
They were picked up on Thursday, August 20, 2020 from their hideout at Chibiak Avenue, Elenpranwo, Ada George, Port Harcourt.
Upon their arrest, the following items were recovered: 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.
Preliminary investigation by the EFCC established that the suspects are majorly involved in a romance scam and also act as pickers for 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 State.
The two other suspects, Odili Ifeayi and Uduak Samuel Williams present themselves as rig/marine engineers to defraud their victims.
The suspects will be charged to court as soon as investigation is concluded, according to the EFCC.