Enugu Police Command Arrest UNTH Staff and Others over Employment Racket

Posted by African Examiner Crime Watch, Featured, Latest Headlines, News, News From The State Thursday, June 19th, 2014

From Ignatius Okpara, Enugu

The Special Anti-Robbery Squad, (SARS), of the Enugu State Police Command have arrested syndicate of three, including a staff of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Enugu, who specialize in defrauding job seekers of huge sums under the guise of securing employment.

Luck ran out of the suspects, when the hospital management got the hint of their illegal activities and called attention of the State security operatives.

A close source to the hospital who craved anonymity told African Examiner on Wednesday that before the arrest, the syndicate had collected not less than N12 million from desperate credulous and desperate job seekers.

The source revealed that a member of the gang and junior UNTH staff (Porter), has absconded. The source pointed out that the junior hospital staff had allegedly conspired with a non-staff and duped their victims to the tune of over N7.5 million.

African Examiner investigation revealed that a total of 34 applicants paid between N370, 000 and N400, 000 each, to Porter and his partners in crime. It was also gathered that another two-man syndicate, comprising a Pharmacist attached to the hospital and a civil servant, (names withheld) allegedly collected sum of N3.6million from the applicants.

However, the Pharmacist (names withheld) has confessed that his group collected only N900, 000 – (N100, 000 each) from nine applicants with an agreement to collect the balance of N300, 000 from each of them after employment papers were issued to them.

Other members of the syndicate were two senior staff of the hospital, including a Physiotherapist, who however, claimed he was “set up” by some members of his department.

Although, he confessed to have collected sum of N290, 000 from a woman for the purpose of purchasing a land for her and not for employment in the hospital.

The fraudsters had cached on the recent recruitment exercise advertised in the federal government owned hospital, where some vacant positions were to be filled due to exit (retirement) of some staff.

Mr. Mgbe Emmanuel Ekele, one of the victims, explained he was informed about the employment opportunity by a staff of the hospital residing in same compound with him, adding that he paid N370, 000 cash to one Offorkansi, who was to be in-charge of the exercise at the old site of the hospital in Enugu city.

According to him, “Offorkansi collected the names and curriculum vitae” of 26 candidates saying each of them paid N370, 000 cash.

He added that he paid on May 8, 2014 with a promise that he would collect his appointment letter three days after which he never. The victim, lamented that Offorkansi, disappeared shortly after collecting the money and had not been seen ever since, claiming when they contacted the hospital, it was discovered that the young man was neither a staff of the hospital nor known to the management.

Briefing newsmen on Wednesday at the Permanent site of the hospital at Ituku-Ozalla on the arrest, UNTH Chief Medical Director (CMD), Dr. Christopher Amah, said the suspects were arrested following a discrete investigations by a committee he set up sequel to complaints he received from the victims and members of the public.

The CMD stated that some of the staff of the hospital involved in the scam had been exposed and arrested while further investigations were being conducted to fish out others linked with the employment racket.

Dr. Amah, however, advised job seekers to always resist any attempt by the miscreants to extort money from them in the name of securing non-existing employment.

“If anybody asks you to bring money for employment, you should please run for your dear life”, he advised.