A Joint Security Team comprising operatives from the Oba Divisional Police Headquarters and the Anambra Vigilante Group has arrested six individuals suspected of exploiting sick persons to solicit alms from the public.
The arrests were made on April 16, 2025, at about 6:30 p.m. during a coordinated raid on an uncompleted building located at Isu village, Oba. The suspects—identified as Doris Basil (28), Peter Ezedike (38), Susan Monday (27), Ogechi Okoro (27), Solomon Sunday (29), and Kenneth Achi (29)—allegedly hired terminally ill individuals to beg for money under false pretenses.
According to the Anambra State Police Command, six mobile phones and a total of eighty-two thousand, four hundred naira (#82,400) in small denominations were recovered during the operation. Four sick individuals—who appeared to be suffering from conditions such as brain tumors and breast cancer—were also rescued and provided with first aid. Authorities say steps have been taken to secure higher medical intervention and ensure the safe return of the ill persons to their homes.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu fwc, mnips, Ph.D, expressed deep concern over the moral degeneration that led to the exploitation of vulnerable individuals for personal gain. He cited Section 419 of the Nigerian Criminal Code Act, which deals with obtaining property by false pretense—a felony punishable by up to three years in prison.
He also ordered the immediate questioning of the relatives of the sick individuals to determine any involvement or negligence on their part.