Members of the Agbor Gha-Ihun Vigilante Group paraded a middle-aged man, Mr. Chukwudi Utomi, for alleged involvement in a series of Point-of-Sale (POS) in Agbor, Ika South Local Area of Delta State
Ika Newspaper reported on Saturday, March 28, 2026 that the suspect, a father of three and a tipper driver, was arrested in the Ime-Obi area of Agbor.
Utomi, who hails from Oduga Quarters in Akumazi Kingdom, Ika North East LGA, reportedly confessed to the crime while speaking with journalists.
“All I am asking for is forgiveness and time to pay back all the money I have stolen from the POS operators. I lost my tipper driving job, and that pushed me into stealing to take care of my family,” he said after his arrest.
One of the victims, Miss Joy Jacob, explained that the suspect had been a regular customer at her POS stand, which allowed him to study her transaction processes.
According to her, Utomi became familiar with her POS transaction PIN through repeated visits.
“Because of his regular visits, he became acquainted with my POS transaction PIN and used it to steal my money,” she said.
She narrated that on the day he was apprehended, Utomi allegedly transferred N50,000 from her account using her POS terminal.
“After he left, I checked my transaction history and discovered a transfer of N50,000 to an account named Mercy Utomi. I immediately alerted the vigilante group, who responded swiftly and arrested him,” she added.
Further checks, she revealed, showed that about N250,000 had previously been siphoned from her account, with suspicions that more losses might be uncovered upon a deeper review of past transactions.
Another nearby POS operator, Miss Joy Ndidi, also accused the suspect of carrying out similar fraudulent transactions.
Ndidi disclosed that she had suffered repeated unexplained losses linked to the same Zenith Bank account bearing the name Mercy Utomi.
“I have been having sleepless nights over the mysterious fraud on my POS terminal,” she lamented.
She stated that a day before Utomi’s arrest, he allegedly carried out another fraudulent transaction on her machine.
According to her, total losses traced to the account have risen to about N450,000.
Ndidi further revealed that attempts to resolve the issue through financial institutions had proven difficult.
“I reported to Opay and Zenith Bank, but I was told to obtain a court order before any action could be taken,” she said.
The affected POS operators appealed to security agencies and relevant authorities to assist in recovering their stolen funds.
They expressed hope that the arrest of the suspect would bring an end to the persistent fraud that had caused them financial and emotional distress.
Speaking on the development, the Chief Security Officer of the Agbor Gha-Ihun Vigilante Group, Chief Sunday Ibude, warned that criminal activities would not be tolerated in the area. He emphasized that the vigilante group remains vigilant and ready to act swiftly against offenders.
“There are no hiding places for criminals in Agbor and its environs. Our men are always on alert to respond whenever called upon,” he stated.
