The Delta State Police Command’s spokesperson, SP Edafe Bright, has issued a warning to Point of Sale (POS) operators regarding transactions exceeding N500,000. He cautioned that engaging in such large transactions could lead to serious legal consequences.
In a video shared by Vanguard on the spokesman’s official X page, SP Edafe addressed a POS operator, advising that anyone looking to conduct a transaction above N500,000 should do so at a bank instead. He stated, “If you’re processing transactions that are excessively high, understand that this could involve criminal activity, and those transactions should be conducted through a bank.”
He recounted an alarming incident involving a female POS operator who was contacted by a suspect. The suspect obtained her POS account number and transferred N4 million into her account, money that had been taken from a victim as ransom for a kidnapping. The operator’s profit from this transaction was a mere N40,000.
SP Edafe further warned POS operators that engaging in transactions above N500,000 could lead to significant trouble. He emphasized the importance of not becoming a conduit for kidnappers to collect ransom payments, explaining that any illegal transaction would eventually be traced back to them.
He remarked, “Imagine receiving N4 million in ransom and only making N40,000 in profit. Think wisely. You might believe you’re just conducting business, but before your lawyer can assist you, you could find yourself spending time in jail.”
In the video, the unnamed POS operator recounted her experience with the suspect, Timothy Ogheneochuko. She explained that he had previously been a regular customer, conducting small transactions ranging from N2,000 to N5,000.
However, in this instance, he only contacted her to check her account balance, at which point she discovered the N4 million transfer. Afterward, she transferred N1.2 million to Ogheneochuko’s account and received instructions to send the remaining funds to another account.
Timothy Ogheneochuko also spoke in the video, admitting that this was his first time transferring such a significant amount.
He explained, “Precious Okpala sent me the money. This was my first experience with such a large transaction. We usually engage in smaller local fraud, but I wasn’t aware of the implications of this situation.”
