Charmed POS robbery gang busted in Bayelsa

The Bayelsa State Vigilante Service has successfully apprehended a four-man gang accused of using charms and voodoo to rob POS operators, business owners, and individuals of cash and valuables in Yenagoa, the state capital.

The gang members, identified as Ufuoma John (35) from Delta State, Igwe White (36) from Delta State, Opeko Kennedy from Delta State, and Sandra Erhirhis (27) from Rivers State, were caught after POS operators and tricycle passengers alerted the authorities about their recent criminal activities.

Hon. Doubiye Alagba, Chairman of the Bayelsa State Vigilante Service, confirmed the arrest, revealing that the gang had previously charmed and defrauded a POS operator named Micah Innocent of N400,000 and other valuable items.

The suspects were apprehended in Yenagoa and a small border community between Bayelsa and Rivers states, where they claimed to have obtained their charms from a herbalist.

Explaining their modus operandi, Hon. Alagba said, “The syndicates migrate from one POS point to another with the same method to defraud the unsuspecting victims, including tricycle passengers. Once they approach their victims and succeed in using charm, the victim will lose control of themselves, and they take them to another location to collect all their money and valuables. In some cases, they even force the victims to transfer funds to their account.”

After obtaining valuable intelligence, one of the gang members led the authorities to the residence of another member who acted as the native doctor preparing the charms. Subsequently, all the suspects were apprehended and confessed to their crimes, admitting to operating both in Bayelsa and Rivers State. They disclosed that they had been carrying out these activities for an extended period, sharing a percentage of the fraudulently obtained amounts among themselves.

The arrested suspects have been handed over to Operation Doo-Akpo security operatives for further investigation.