From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
A suspected employment fraudster, Patience Adamu, has disclosed how she, alongside her husband and other accomplices, made over N10 million from job seekers using fake employment letters of the National Examination Council (NECO).
NECO spokesman Sani Azeez, in a statement on Thursday, confirmed that the suspects, Patience Adamu, 28, alongside her 48-year-old husband, Matthew Samson by Police in Minna, while accomplices namely, 38-year-old Godwin Mathew, 35-year-old Emmanuel David and 29-year-old Perter Samuel, were arrested elsewhere in Kaduna State.
The suspect, who spoke during the police parade in Minna, said: “I started this business in 2020. I collected money from over 30 job seekers. I charged them N500,000 each and gave them the option to pay half and when the job is out they would pay the balance and they agreed. Some people paid N180,000, N200,000, some paid N300,000 and some N500,000.
“I made over N10 million from the business and acquired some landed property with some of the money. However, I have no link with NECO, but my intention was to refund the monies collected from the job seekers after starting a business.
“I wanted to raise the money for a business. I have even started refunding some people. My husband was not aware that I have purchased four lands in Kaduna at N1.8 million and N1.5 million, respectively.”
Azeez, thus, urged the public not to seek NECO job through a third party, stating that NECO always follows the normal channel which includes making recruitment public through advertisement whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Niger Police spokesman, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, who spoke during the parade said, “on 20/05/2022 at about 12: 30hrs, based on a tip-off that suspected syndicate of job scammers were sighted at a hotel in Minna, documenting some applicants for placement into NECO headquarters, Minna.
“On the receipt of information, Police operatives attached to the Intelligence Unit of the Command swung into action and arrested the following suspects.
“During interrogation, Patience confessed that she contacted about 10 unsuspecting persons since 2020 till date for a job replacement offer at NECO with a payment of N500,000 each, adding that each of the victims made half payment and to pay the balance after issuing them with appointment letters.
“She, however, claimed to have arranged fake documentation for the victims as one of them was pressurising for the next stage of the job placement, while she invited three other persons in conspiracy with her husband, Mathew Samson, to carry out the fake documentation.
“She said that her intention was to raise money for business, thereafter, refund the victims after the business must have boomed. That she had no employment offer or any connection for job placement at NECO.
“But in the course of the investigation, it was discovered that over 50 job seekers have fallen victim of the job racketeering with an amount of over N10 million,” he said.
He advised members of the public to be wary of job scammers and avoid being desperate for anything including job search.
Meanwhile, one of the victims who spoke anonymously, said he got to know about Patience from a friend, and they went to her for some confirmation.
“We asked her some basic questions which she confirmed. She showed us her family members: her children, her husband also, the cars were there. From there we proceeded to have daily phone call conversations with her.
“So, I asked what was the initial payment and she said N200,000, then afterwards, we will pay another N200,000 when they will see the documentation, emails and all that.
“I paid mine this year, April, the payment was around 18th. So, what actually gave me confidence was that when I paid the first N200,000 it was like she mistook me for another person and said no, I was supposed to just pay N100,000,” he said.
