By Esther Onyegbula, Lucky Nwanekwu & Amaka Okpala

A 23-year-old indigene of Benue State, Jacob Monday, said to be suffering from hernia, yesterday, revealed how a fake non-governmental organisation that promised to help him raise money to tackle his health challenge put him on the streets of Lagos to beg for months without fulfilling their pledge.

Jacob Monday spoke at the Police Headquarters, Ikeja, when the Police Commissioner, Imohimi Edgal, paraded some suspects said to be operating a fake NGO at Ilemba-Hausa area of the state.

According to the victim, who is from Obi Local Government Area in Benue state, “I met the operator of the NGO about three months ago, and they promised to help me raise funds to enable me undergo surgery for hernia.

“In the past two months, I have been going with them to beg. They have been using me to make money. We make more than N20,000 daily. Yet, they refused to pay for my surgery. Whenever we returned from begging, they go inside to calculate the proceeds of the day while I stay outside.

“When they are done, they give me N500 for food. I worked with them for two months.

“Some people gave N5,000, others N1,000, and some N10,000. No matter how bad it was, we made more than N20,000 daily.”

Parading the suspects, Edgal said they received information about the illegal activities of the unregistered NGO and detectives attached to Ilemba-Hausa Division to swung into action.

He said: “It led to the arrest of four—Paul Samuel, leader, and his associates: Chukwuma Igbokwe, 24; Ofiga Ayuba, 18, and Bright Edet, 32.”