Man arrested for ‘buying’ items with fake alert at Abuja shop

A middle-aged man, identified as Raphael Emmanuel, has been arrested by security operatives for allegedly sending a fake bank alert of N212,000 after buying food items at a shop at Kuje in the Kuje Area Council of the FCT. Samson Enoch, a resident of Kuje, said the incident happened on Tuesday, around 5:37 pm, at […]

A middle-aged man, identified as Raphael Emmanuel, has been arrested by security operatives for allegedly sending a fake bank alert of N212,000 after buying food items at a shop at Kuje in the Kuje Area Council of the FCT.

Samson Enoch, a resident of Kuje, said the incident happened on Tuesday, around 5:37 pm, at a shop located along the Tipper Garage Junction–Darafa road in the council.

He explained that the suspect drove his car to the shop and purchased several food items, including bags of rice, semovita, spaghetti, vegetable oil, and other provisions. According to him, the total value of the items was N212,000, adding that the suspect allegedly pretended to have transferred the amount to the trader’s account and conveyed the goods into his car before leaving.

According to Enoch, the trader did not bother to verify the transaction immediately upon seeing the alert.

“Actually, the trader didn’t bother to confirm the money after seeing the alert as he continued attending to other customers waiting for him,” he said. It was only after attending to the other customers that the trader later discovered the suspect had sent a fake alert.

Enoch said the trader immediately alerted security operatives, who were able to trace the suspect through his phone contact on the receipt issued for the items.

The suspect was arrested along the roadside while attempting to change a punctured tyre on his vehicle.

“And as God would help the trader, he was able to mark the vehicle of the suspect that came and bought the items at his shop. It was when the suspect was busy changing the punctured tyre of his car that the security operatives arrived, stopped, and arrested him,” Enoch narrated.

A security source at the Kuje Police division, who preferred anonymity, confirmed the arrest of a man for using a fake alert to buy items in the area.

He added that the suspect will be charged to court upon the conclusion of the investigation.