The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Star Shawarma, a pastry outfit in Makurdi, Benue State, Ms Mnena Ato, has narrated how she was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC over a N1,600 transaction.

Ato said she was arrested alongside her accountant and sales boy, adding that after they were released, the anti-graft agency asked them to report to its Makurdi office today (Monday).

Narrating what led to the invasion of her office and their subsequent arrest, Ato said an officer of the EFCC had visited her shop to purchase an item worth N1,500.

She explained that the officer decided to pay for the item through bank transfer and instead of N1,500, she ended up transferring N1,600 to the company’s account, adding that the company did not get an alert for the N1,600 transaction but it allowed the buyer to leave because it believed in the customer’s explanation.

Ato stated, “So when the accountant did not receive the alert for the payment of N1,500, he decided to draw the attention of the sales boy to it and directed him to contact the EFCC officer to inform her of the development.

“The rule of the company is that if any customer purchases an item from a salesperson and the salesperson fails to collect money and there is a shortfall in revenue, such shall be deducted from the salary of the salesperson.

“It is on this that my worker continued calling the office to remind her of the payment.

“This transaction took place on April 9, 2020, but when we finally got the statement from the bank, there was no shortfall in revenue and the person, who sold the item to the EFCC officer, got his full salary at the end of the month and I directed the salesperson to call the officer and apologise to her.

“Less than 20 minutes after my employee had carried out my instructions, operatives from the EFCC office came and occupied my company premises, arrested me, the accountant and the salesman.

“All my pleas fell on their deaf ears and at the end of the day, I was picked up alongside my accountant and the salesman. We slept in their detention facility and we were released on administrative bail on Saturday.

“I don’t want to dwell more on the matter because we are trying to resolve it. My manager and the accountant have been directed to report today (Monday) and it is after that, I will be able to speak further.”

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However, the zonal head of the EFCC in Benue State, Dr Johnson Babalola, said Ato was invited when an officer of the agency went to the shop to show evidence of the online payment she made for the item she purchased, but she was almost beaten up.

Babalola stated, “They intended to beat her up when she went to the shop to show evidence of the payment she made, but she managed to get through to the office.

“The officer was seriously harassed and that was why we invited Ato and her employees to come and she came and explained what happened; and after that, she was asked to go.”

Nine members of the high profile terrorist group, Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimeena fii Bilaa dis Sudan, responsible for the kidnap of expatriates and influential personalities in northern Nigeria, have revealed how they were recruited from mosques and trained in Libya.

The suspects arrested by the Inspector–General of Police, Intelligence Response Team (IRT), led by DCP Abba Kyari, were reportedly fished out of their hideouts in Kaduna, Kano and Katsina States.

A top source in IRT disclosed that the daredevil gunmen were hunted down in a decoy operation spearheaded by Kyari.

According to the suspects, the terrorist group, whose membership spreads across the northern states and many African countries, presents itself as an Islamic group fighting a just cause, but after accepting membership, recruits are presented with the sad reality of being members of a criminal gang.

A top police source at Louis Edet House, who was part of the team that intercepted the suspects, said the gang’ operation base is at Birnin Gwari Bush.

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The source revealed that the gang was responsible for the kidnap of two expatriates, Zaid Alas from Jordan and Isah Jabour a Syrian, both working with Traicta Ltd, Shiroro, Niger State, in December 2019, and only released their captive after collected N120m ransom.

The terrorist gang led Dogo Gide and Mahmud, both on the run, was also responsible for the kidnap for ransom of some employees of Mothercat Construction Company, as well as Magajin Garin Daura in Katsina State.

The arrested suspects were: Aminu Mustapha (alias China), 23; Aminu Saidu (alias Dawud), 26; Aminu Shuaibu (alias Abu Mus’an), 33; Ishak Khalid (alias Uztaz), 30; Yusuf Abubakar (alias AY), 24; Awal Umar Tela, 34; Abubakar Isah Muhammad (alias Khalifa Abu Aisara), 25; Shuaibu Ahmadu, 25 and Abubakar Mustafa (alias Osama), 32.

It was learnt the suspects were helping IRT operatives to track and arrest other gang members still at large, especially their leaders and armourer, one Aliyu Sokoto and Mus’ab, who sent threat email to Triacta Ltd, and negotiated with the company’s managing director, on how N50m will be paid to them yearly to stop kidnapping the company’s expatriates.

“A total of 204 rounds of AK47 live ammunition, military uniforms, operational vehicles including a Volkswagen Golf car, drugs and foodstuff meant to be conveyed to their gang members in the bush, and charms were recovered from the suspects. Investigation continues. Serious efforts are in progress to arrest the remaining members,” the source revealed

One of the suspects speaking on how he became a gang member, Shuaibu, from Kastina, said he was brainwashed into believing it was an Islamic group, with a good cause. Shuaibu, trained to treat sick and injured gang members, said he was promised financial benefit, which was what enticed him.

“Sometime in 2015 that I met one Mamoud in the mosque and after each prayer, we hang out to discuss life. He told me about Ansarul and the financial gain in being a member, aside from travelling to Libya.”

Shuaibu, who was sent to Libya to assist members of the Ansarul group fighting against the then Libyan government, said he earned N50,000 every three months as wage for his contribution to the battle in Libya.