Lagos police arrest ladies who allegedly blackmail online vendors and take down their social media pages

The police in Lagos state have arrested two ladies identified as Shallon Daniels, 22, and Peace Ijeoma, 27, for blackmailing online business vendors and taking their business pages down if they fail to pay a ransom.

Several business owners had lodged a complaint at the Lagos police command, Special Crime Investigation Department SCID against the suspects. The business owners alleged that the suspects and others currently at large created a group called ‘Witches of China’ that churns out defamatory and libelous publications against some online vendors and publishes them if the online vendors fail to pay the ransom demanded. The suspects and their cohorts then massively report the business pages of their victims who fail to pay the ransom demanded until the business page gets deactivated. 

The victims told the police that the actions of the suspects caused them fear, emotional distress, and substantial damage to their business reputation. The victims also told the police that they suffered financial losses as a result of the actions of the suspects and their accomplices.

Following a discreet investigation, the police successfully nabbed two of the suspects.

Confirming their arrest to LIB, the command’s spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi, called on other victims who are yet to report to come forward and give their statements.

She said the suspects will be charged to court when the investigation into the matter is concluded.