Taskforce of the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) has arrested five fake insurers in Abuja following the commission’s continuing efforts at ridding the country of fake and illegal insurers.

The five illegal insurers arrested are three women and two men who were parading themselves as agents of NEM and Universal Insurance companies with fake certificates and receipts of the two companies which were retrieved from them.

Officials of NAICOM bought three Third Party motor insurance policies from the illegal operators who issued NEM Insurance and Universal Insurance’s certificates and receipts at the sum of N2,000 and N3, 000 while the receipts reflect N5,000.

The arrests of the five fake insurance operators were made following the commission’s raid on Area 1, Abuja licensing office in Garki by the NAICOM task-force team comprising armed policemen, insurers and staff of the commission.

They have since been handed over to the police at the Garki police station for further investigations.

It will be recalled that NAICOM carried out a similar exercise on Monday last week at the VIO head-office, Mabuchi-Abuja were more than six people including a VIO officer, were arrested.

The Commissioner for Insurance, Mr. Fola Daniel speaking at the scene of the raid said the “exercise will be a continuous process until the commission gets rid of these fraudsters who are tarnishing the image of the insurance sector from our system.”

Daniel reiterated his appeal to all Nigerians to join hands with the commission in wiping out fake insurers in the country by going directly to insurance companies to purchase their third party motor vehicle insurance and not from the licensing office or by the road side.

The arrested illegal operators he said, would soon be arraigned at the law court in accordance with the provisions of the Insurance Act passed by the National Assembly by the appropriate law enforcement agencies.

Daniel also urged Nigerians to always patronize licensed insurance companies, agents and qualified brokers whenever they want to purchase insurance policy, stressing that the insurance policy is to guide against unforeseen occurrences.

The NAICOM boss assured Nigerians that “the Commission will not relet in its drive towards ensuring the restoration of sanity public confidence in the insurance industry” stressing that the exercise will soon be extended to other parts of the country