The House of Representatives on Wednesday called on the Inspector General of Police and heads of other security agencies to enhance surveillance within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to curb the activities of one-chance operators.
In a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Billy Osawaru (APC, Edo), the House urged the Nigeria Police to collaborate with banks and FinTech operators like Opay and MoniePoint to prioritize one-chance cases.
It directed that these institutions provide timely information about account owners linked to such crimes, freeze suspicious accounts, and apprehend the perpetrators.
The lawmakers also called on the federal government to shut down illegal and unauthorized loan companies that criminals exploit for fraudulent activities.
Additionally, the House urged the FCT Minister to maximize the use of Abuja Urban Mass Transit buses, currently underutilized at their premises, to provide residents with a reliable transportation system. It recommended extending their operations until 9:30 pm daily to meet the commuting needs of residents.
Leading a debate on the motion, Osawaru said the heinous operation of One Chance and Kidnappers in FCT, Abuja has left their victims in a sorry state due to severe torture on them and their bank account emptied simultaneously at gunpoint.
According to him, the perpetrators used alleged magical powers to hypnotize their victims and take them to an unknown destination, where the money in their different bank accounts is emptied with the use of POS and other money transfer devices, and at the same time, inflict pain/injuries on them, rape their female victims and push them out of a speed moving vehicle afterward.
He expressed concern that the victims of this despicable act and bank account used for this criminal purpose seem to be difficult to track or trace, due to lack of synergy between the security agencies and Banks.
He alleged that banks have always been unwilling to help customers and do a proper investigation on their own with the excuses of waiting for police extract or affidavit or other requirements that could be frustrating coupled with the money involved in the process which the victims whose money was stolen may no longer afford.
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He said there exist CBN directives mandating all bank operators to ensure that the individual or corporate accounts of every customer are linked to their NIN and BVN, which means every transaction done within and outside the bank could be traced.
The Edo lawmaker stressed that in most cases the phone numbers and bank accounts of their victims are used to borrow money from illegal and unauthorized loan apps of the companies in Nigeria, thereby incurring humongous debt which their victims must offset afterward.
He said: “On a daily basis cases of such abound including that of our children/relatives, staff, secretaries etc and if nothing urgent is done to curb the activities of one chance in the FCT, Abuja and other states in general, and its perpetrators brought to book, FCT may not be safe for every one of us to stay”.