House of Reps orders crackdown on illegal loan apps used by criminals
The House of Representatives on Wednesday directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to shut down illegal loan platforms used by criminal gangs running the “one-chance” robberies in Abuja.
Billy Osawaru, a lawmaker from Edo, while moving a motion of urgent public importance during the plenary session, said criminals often use loan applications to extort money from their victims, adding that the victims of the robberies are usually coerced into using their details to apply for loans, with the money subsequently transferred to the criminals’ accounts.
Osawaru also noted that the perpetrators evade detection despite the mandatory use of the bank verification number (BVN) and other identification systems due to the lack of coordination between security agencies and banks.
READ ALSO: Bill to establish Federal College of Education Kwara passes second reading
The house, however, passed the resolution mandating the police, banks, and fintech operators, such as Opay and MoniePoint, to prioritise cases involving the “one chance” and kidnappings.
In March, police arrested 11 “one chance” robbery suspects in Abuja.
“One chance” is a type of robbery in which unsuspecting passengers are lured into commercial vehicles whose occupants are robbers.
Source: TheCable
