Three people were detained in Port Harcourt by men from the Rivers State Police Command on suspicion of participating in a National Identity Number scheme.
A group of police officers apprehended the suspects on Wednesday afternoon at the entrance to the National Identity Management Commission on Aba Road in the state capital.
Four or five of the operators swooped on the roadside acclaimed agents after highlighting from their blue private salon car and arriving in the vicinity.
Some of the roadside renowned salespeople who were spotted Thursday at the commission’s gate assert that they sell NIN registration forms because they are jobless.
It was learned that individuals who had been detained were pleading with the authorities to let them continue to work.
According to a source at the Port Harcourt NIMC office who spoke on the record on the condition of anonymity, the men frequently visit the office dressed as agents and occasionally persuade unwary members of the public who are in the area to visit the facility.
“You know, this is a federal government office where people come to either get NIN or have theirs verified, among other things,” he said.
You know, these young males who loiter around are a nuisance and pretend to be agents, but no one has assigned them to do what they are doing.
“They seize visitors to our office and promise to help them with anything they need. Sometimes they even claim to be NIMC employees in order to extort money from the victims.
He continued, “We’ve driven them away and asked them not to loiter outside our gate, but they keep coming back. There was a moment when the cops showed up and took several of them into custody. After a few days, they returned.
Grace Iringe-Koko, the state police command’s spokesman, could not be reached because her cell phone was not active.
Additionally, as of the time this report was submitted on Thursday afternoon, she had not responded to a text message given to her.