I am writing this exposé because it is my civic responsibility to report it and save contractors like me from what I believe is the biggest coordinated cum organized crime/scam threatening the construction community in Nigeria.
On Saturday, 2nd May 2020 I was contacted through WhatsApp by one Comrade Daniel Samuel picture below.

(Phone No: 08128048052) claiming his community (Elelem community in Ngor Okpala) needs an engineer to handle their hospital construction project. After much discussion, he sent me pictures of the hospital design bearing the name Dr. Joseph Ubajaka. I fixed an appointment with them and visited on Wednesday, 6th May 2020.
I and my colleague went to the supposedly staged community palace at around 1.20 pm where we were received at the staged palace hall by the chief of the community Hon. Kenneth Ozuzu, his accomplice, the kingmaker, and the project committee members as they called themselves. They presented us with a kola nut and told us that it is customary in their palace that we return the plate with #10,000.00. We complied by accepting the welcome gesture with the stated sum. The chief went ahead to brief us on the need for the project but before that, he warned us that it is against the palace law to take a picture of the palace, he said this in a bid to cover their tracks. He stated in his speech that the community lacks hospital and the members of the community had to visit federal hospital Owerri which is very far and as such the project is designed to solve this problem and improve the health sector in their community.
The chief went ahead to inform us that the hospital project will be sponsored by his brother who is a medical doctor in the UK. He told us his brother gave him the go-ahead to get a vibrant, reliable, and competent company to handle the project. That the company that will handle the project will do solely from the clearing of the bush to paint.
The chief presented us with the three (3) hard copies design of the hospital project to view and see if we can handle the project. We assessed the 3 copies and told them that we can handle the project not knowing all these are part of one big scam.
The chief went further stating that there are conditions that follow the project,. The conditions are as follows:
• At the commencement of the job, the members of their community (vibrant youths) who are interested will be employed to complement the company’s laborers.
• Fighting is strictly prohibited in the construction site. Any defaulter will be fined a cow and sum of #100,000.00
• Smoking of hard drugs such as Indian hemp is prohibited from the site. Any defaulter will be fined (a cow and #100,000.00).
• There will be no third-party settlement beside the one agreed by the members of the committee prior to the commencement of the project.
• The last but not the least is that they will perform a traditional rite on the site. Due to religious differences, the chief said that he will not divulge the processes involved in the rite but he insisted that the rite is simply to appease any spirit inhabiting the land and foster peaceful execution of the project.
• He said that we have to procure the things stated on the list before they can give out the hard copies of the design, that we will get the design the day we fulfill the list.
• The items on this purported list totaled the sum of Five Hundred and Forty-One Thousand Naira (#541,000.00).
Before the conclusion of the meeting, the chief said that since the committee has accepted us that we will have to host the meeting for the committee as a sign of good faith. The committee demanded #50,000.00 which we beat down to #25,000.00. In fact, it will be hard to believe it is all lie because they made it all look real. They staged the palace; the committee includes old men, women, and young men.
Finally, the chief took us to a site and showed us the land and the demarcation where the project will take place which is obviously a “no man’s land”. Luckily for us, we were tipped off by a Facebook post by Higher Dimensions Engineering (https://web.facebook.com/230919537605043/photos/a.244876356209361/283950845635245/?type=1&theater) on how the same people used the same story to dwindle and scam one of his colleagues the sum of #450,000.00. We did not go back there again but they kept calling and pushing us to come. They are very unrelenting in carrying out their vicious crimes.
My advice to my fellow contractors is to be wary of this scammers, the Elelem community in Ngor Okpala is notorious at organized crime. These have shown they can go at any length to scam people. It is a hospital project today; tomorrow it may be another project. I believe that the community is all in on this too. It has been their Modus operandi to scam hopeful contractors with nailing a big construction project.
These are their numbers 08128048052, 0703949500.

Credit: Otanley Nigeria Limited
www.otanley.com

meking1:
I am writing this exposé because it is my civic responsibility to report it and save contractors like me from what I believe is the biggest coordinated cum organized crime/scam threatening the construction community in Nigeria.
On Saturday, 2nd May 2020 I was contacted through WhatsApp by one Comrade Daniel Samuel picture below.

(Phone No: 08128048052) claiming his community (Elelem community in Ngor Okpala) needs an engineer to handle their hospital construction project. After much discussion, he sent me pictures of the hospital design bearing the name Dr. Joseph Ubajaka. I fixed an appointment with them and visited on Wednesday, 6th May 2020.
I and my colleague went to the supposedly staged community palace at around 1.20 pm where we were received at the staged palace hall by the chief of the community Hon. Kenneth Ozuzu, his accomplice, the kingmaker, and the project committee members as they called themselves. They presented us with a kola nut and told us that it is customary in their palace that we return the plate with #10,000.00. We complied by accepting the welcome gesture with the stated sum. The chief went ahead to brief us on the need for the project but before that, he warned us that it is against the palace law to take a picture of the palace, he said this in a bid to cover their tracks. He stated in his speech that the community lacks hospital and the members of the community had to visit federal hospital Owerri which is very far and as such the project is designed to solve this problem and improve the health sector in their community.
The chief went ahead to inform us that the hospital project will be sponsored by his brother who is a medical doctor in the UK. He told us his brother gave him the go-ahead to get a vibrant, reliable, and competent company to handle the project. That the company that will handle the project will do solely from the clearing of the bush to paint.
The chief presented us with the three (3) hard copies design of the hospital project to view and see if we can handle the project. We assessed the 3 copies and told them that we can handle the project not knowing all these are part of one big scam.
The chief went further stating that there are conditions that follow the project,. The conditions are as follows:
• At the commencement of the job, the members of their community (vibrant youths) who are interested will be employed to complement the company’s laborers.
• Fighting is strictly prohibited in the construction site. Any defaulter will be fined a cow and sum of #100,000.00
• Smoking of hard drugs such as Indian hemp is prohibited from the site. Any defaulter will be fined (a cow and #100,000.00).
• There will be no third-party settlement beside the one agreed by the members of the committee prior to the commencement of the project.
• The last but not the least is that they will perform a traditional rite on the site. Due to religious differences, the chief said that he will not divulge the processes involved in the rite but he insisted that the rite is simply to appease any spirit inhabiting the land and foster peaceful execution of the project.
• He said that we have to procure the things stated on the list before they can give out the hard copies of the design, that we will get the design the day we fulfill the list.
• The items on this purported list totaled the sum of Five Hundred and Forty-One Thousand Naira (#541,000.00).
Before the conclusion of the meeting, the chief said that since the committee has accepted us that we will have to host the meeting for the committee as a sign of good faith. The committee demanded #50,000.00 which we beat down to #25,000.00. In fact, it will be hard to believe it is all lie because they made it all look real. They staged the palace; the committee includes old men, women, and young men.
Finally, the chief took us to a site and showed us the land and the demarcation where the project will take place which is obviously a “no man’s land”. Luckily for us, we were tipped off by a Facebook post by Higher Dimensions Engineering (https://web.facebook.com/230919537605043/photos/a.244876356209361/283950845635245/?type=1&theater) on how the same people used the same story to dwindle and scam one of his colleagues the sum of #450,000.00. We did not go back there again but they kept calling and pushing us to come. They are very unrelenting in carrying out their vicious crimes.
My advice to my fellow contractors is to be wary of this scammers, the Elelem community in Ngor Okpala is notorious at organized crime. These have shown they can go at any length to scam people. It is a hospital project today; tomorrow it may be another project. I believe that the community is all in on this too. It has been their Modus operandi to scam hopeful contractors with nailing a big construction project.
These are their numbers 08128048052, 0703949500.

You are absolutely correct i was also approached by same idiots promising me the job of constructing the hospital same story line you were given, i was lucky for some reason something in me just didn't agree with the whole story, i examined the pictures of the drawings sent it was dated 2014 i asked my self why will a community get a design 5 years ( then was 2019 )from when they re financially ready to commence the job? Also why not simply meet whomever designed it for the construction job?...i finally discovered their plot through someone then in my work force from ngor okpala who said there exist no such planned project in their community....

Maybe i should have exposed them then just as you did now

Seriously one has to be careful this days about how quickly you travel for a job

Op, all you typed above is true, You won't suspect anything fishy at all. they go after unsuspecting Architects and Contractors. I had first-hand experience,
These criminals swindled the sum of #600,000+ from my roommate ( we both were student architects then). Ours got to the point that the Dr Ugbakala said he was sending down some goods from overseas, and he had the money(dollars) for the Hospital construction hidden in laptops because it was a huge sum to be transferred through bank transaction, Which were all lies. He wanted us to help him clear the laptops (by paying his supposed agent), because the officials at Wharf found the hidden dollars, with the promise of some specified amount of dollars as refund. We made the first payment which was #200,000, but it was when he came again for another settlement that made our eyes to Opened.
We later went to bank only to discover that the money sent to the 'Lagos' agent was withdrawn at an ATM in 'Owerri' instead of Lagos.

Lalasticlala, push this on front page

I may have come across them. I am a solar engineer. Same Ngor Okpala, I am a solar engineer though. I think this time, it's a solar street light project scam. Victims should speak up.

meking1:
I am writing this exposé because it is my civic responsibility to report it and save contractors like me from what I believe is the biggest coordinated cum organized crime/scam threatening the construction community in Nigeria.
On Saturday, 2nd May 2020 I was contacted through WhatsApp by one Comrade Daniel Samuel picture below.

(Phone No: 08128048052) claiming his community (Elelem community in Ngor Okpala) needs an engineer to handle their hospital construction project. After much discussion, he sent me pictures of the hospital design bearing the name Dr. Joseph Ubajaka. I fixed an appointment with them and visited on Wednesday, 6th May 2020.
I and my colleague went to the supposedly staged community palace at around 1.20 pm where we were received at the staged palace hall by the chief of the community Hon. Kenneth Ozuzu, his accomplice, the kingmaker, and the project committee members as they called themselves. They presented us with a kola nut and told us that it is customary in their palace that we return the plate with #10,000.00. We complied by accepting the welcome gesture with the stated sum. The chief went ahead to brief us on the need for the project but before that, he warned us that it is against the palace law to take a picture of the palace, he said this in a bid to cover their tracks. He stated in his speech that the community lacks hospital and the members of the community had to visit federal hospital Owerri which is very far and as such the project is designed to solve this problem and improve the health sector in their community.
The chief went ahead to inform us that the hospital project will be sponsored by his brother who is a medical doctor in the UK. He told us his brother gave him the go-ahead to get a vibrant, reliable, and competent company to handle the project. That the company that will handle the project will do solely from the clearing of the bush to paint.
The chief presented us with the three (3) hard copies design of the hospital project to view and see if we can handle the project. We assessed the 3 copies and told them that we can handle the project not knowing all these are part of one big scam.
The chief went further stating that there are conditions that follow the project,. The conditions are as follows:
• At the commencement of the job, the members of their community (vibrant youths) who are interested will be employed to complement the company’s laborers.
• Fighting is strictly prohibited in the construction site. Any defaulter will be fined a cow and sum of #100,000.00
• Smoking of hard drugs such as Indian hemp is prohibited from the site. Any defaulter will be fined (a cow and #100,000.00).
• There will be no third-party settlement beside the one agreed by the members of the committee prior to the commencement of the project.
• The last but not the least is that they will perform a traditional rite on the site. Due to religious differences, the chief said that he will not divulge the processes involved in the rite but he insisted that the rite is simply to appease any spirit inhabiting the land and foster peaceful execution of the project.
• He said that we have to procure the things stated on the list before they can give out the hard copies of the design, that we will get the design the day we fulfill the list.
• The items on this purported list totaled the sum of Five Hundred and Forty-One Thousand Naira (#541,000.00).
Before the conclusion of the meeting, the chief said that since the committee has accepted us that we will have to host the meeting for the committee as a sign of good faith. The committee demanded #50,000.00 which we beat down to #25,000.00. In fact, it will be hard to believe it is all lie because they made it all look real. They staged the palace; the committee includes old men, women, and young men.
Finally, the chief took us to a site and showed us the land and the demarcation where the project will take place which is obviously a “no man’s land”. Luckily for us, we were tipped off by a Facebook post by Higher Dimensions Engineering (https://web.facebook.com/230919537605043/photos/a.244876356209361/283950845635245/?type=1&theater) on how the same people used the same story to dwindle and scam one of his colleagues the sum of #450,000.00. We did not go back there again but they kept calling and pushing us to come. They are very unrelenting in carrying out their vicious crimes.
My advice to my fellow contractors is to be wary of this scammers, the Elelem community in Ngor Okpala is notorious at organized crime. These have shown they can go at any length to scam people. It is a hospital project today; tomorrow it may be another project. I believe that the community is all in on this too. It has been their Modus operandi to scam hopeful contractors with nailing a big construction project.
These are their numbers 08128048052, 0703949500.

Credit: Otanley Nigeria Limited
www.otanley.com

Kaiii, mehn.
I have seen these people several times.
Sorry for the experience.
I haven't actually gone to meet them coz I know it's scam from day 1 when they called me.

I always have my way of identifying these con people. That's their format. When I hear anything hospital project. Of which they have plans already. Bros, run. Ask them to contact who drew the plan, or more so ask them a few other technical questions.

There are ways to know real clients. Maybe you should learn that. That was how I lost over a million Naira in 2017. Bros since then, I doubt If someone can hardly scam me online coz I learnt my lessons in a hard way. I just realized alot after the incedent. Sorry about your experience.

Wish you the best

KREPS:
I may have come across them. I am a solar engineer. Same Ngor Okpala, I am a solar engineer though. I think this time, it's a solar street light project scam. Victims should speak up.

We lost millions

My God, thank God for the internet.

Ngor Okpala Street Light Contract Scam!

I am a solar contractor based in Lagos and some 5 days ago, I got a text message from one Mr. Collins Madu whose true caller name shows Collins Raymond: +2349164155081
asking if my company, Bertmoh Int'l Limited can handle solar street light Installation in Imo State. I responded to the affirmative and we got talking on Whatsapp.

He said an association of his community in Nor Okpala based in Canada is to sponsor the project and that he's a member of the committee. He requested that I send in a quote for 1,550 units of all-in-one solar street light which I did. The quote amounted to over N300 million. Lol. See me rejoicing to a grand start of the year. I mean, who wouldn't? �

Few days after receiving the quote, he responded, congratulating me that the committee has approved my quote and requested that I come down to Imo State with 1 or 2 samples of the light to demonstrate how it works.

Though I was happy about his response of acceptance, but with caution. Cause we've been on this street long enough to not be cautious. From start, I had been trying to get details of him to enable me investigate him but nothing much.

Today, Thursday, 12th January, I called to tell him to kindly provide funds for the 2 samples So I can come with them on Friday like he requested; to which he declined, saying that their sponsors didn't make any such provision. Lol.

Guess what? He said another contractor from Ibadan has been contracted to handle 450 units of same, and that the project was ongoing. We went on a video call and he actually showed me concrete bases which he claimed were done by the "Ibadan contractor".

At this point, my defense got a bit weakened, but I was sha still shining my eyes and wouldn't give in. When the video call started, I saw that the selfie camera was dusty, and this seemed artificial and intentional to me. But I was able to take a screenshot of him, still.

After I dropped the call, I decided to go on Google and search for "Ngor Okpala scam." That's how I landed here on nairaland with many other similar experiences by other contractors, some of whom say they were divested of tens, hundreds, and even millions of naira.

Again, thank God for the internet. Else, I would've tried to physically go confirm my curiosity, and who knows how it would've ended?

Moral lesson, keep your curioucity awake, always. Pay less attention to the benefits and more to due diligence.

Finally, thanks to those who left their experiences online. You saved me and many others. Let's do more of this. God bless us all.

See his snapshot bellow.

Collins Madu, not Madi.

Thank God for Nairaland. The same man has contacted me, and I have almost fallen for it. In fact I have almost packed my bags travelling to Imo all the way from Lagos.


Something within me tells me they were scams , but the man kept on calling.

He started with a text message, saying they have 1,550 Street lights to do in Ngor Okplala in Imo State.

Two days after submitting a quote, he announced that the project has been approved by the Project Committee.

He asked me to come down with 2 samples and company profile.

But then, I told him to send an official letter on association's letter head paper. He said " no". OK send me any government approved ID to ascertain the identity of the person I am dealing with, he declined. But then he was smooth talking me. He kept on assuring me , I should come and that the project was real. He sent me another person's number whom he called the king of the community.

Ok. Give me the address of the exact location where the meeting would take place . " When you come down, all the necessary information would be given to you". That's all the response I got.

Please, my people, these people are ready to kidnapp and murder, because of money, they are so desperate. And they are organised criminals. Please run away from them, especially when your company has online presence, they go after you.

This is the screenshot of our conversation.

Oh my goodness. Im so grateful for nairaland and the internet. I had planned a trip to this community tomorrow, something just kept pricking me this deal looked too good to be true.

My company has been contacted to come build 18 boreholes for them in the community with solar panels.

I was supposed to go sign an MOU, but everything looked shady. They had a sent a list of what we need to drop in financial terms before the project can be signed off.

I won't be wasting my time going there anymore!!

Mod take this to front page so the whole world know that some evil people are using ngor okpala to scam people on the internet am sure someone high up there from that same vicinity will take it up it can be d whole community that will be on d scam but few scrupulous ones amongst them in d community tarnish d image of their ancestors....bunch of assholes

Mubz:
Oh my goodness. Im so grateful for nairaland and the internet. I had planned a trip to this community tomorrow, something just kept pricking me this deal looked too good to be true.

My company has been contacted to come build 18 boreholes for them in the community with solar panels.

I was supposed to go sign an MOU, but everything looked shady. They had a sent a list of what we need to drop in financial terms before the project can be signed off.

I won't be wasting my time going there anymore!!

Good! We don't millions

Another set are using a community in Rivers State, saying they want to build a community primary school …

Mods kindly move to Front page.

Ngor Opkala contract building scam....

Ngor Okpala solar street light project scam..

List of ngor opkala scammers

08148375976 .Nda Okey Nda Eddy (chairman)
08140538460 .chief Innocent. (Dr Charles Canada brother).
08124166787 Ebuka (youth leader)..
+1289-201-2588 .Dr Charles Canada.(project sponsor)
0813 231 0950. Mr Colin's madu IMO
0810 775 4580 Mr Vincent . A ( Iyke)
0916 541 2009. Ify Owerri
08128048052 .Comrade Samuel Imo
0703 949 500


This numbers from ngor Okpala lga of imo state now daily scam people of millions....
Netizens and non netizens can share their experiences here

https://www.nairaland.com/5889937/ngor-okpala-contract-building-scam


https://m.facebook.com8/groups/152763796165479/permalink/853506799424505/?mibextid=Nif5oz

On September 19 2023.
This number 08140538460 (chiefs innocent form Ngor Opkala called our company for a solar street light project for 8 villages in ngor community of ngor Opkala..appealing to us to come the next day ..
With samples and quotations.
Getting to the venue all the way from Abuja
I was asked to break kola nut with *10k*. Which I did ...
They gave me list of *73k* saying is a notification ceremony for the reception of the contractors...
After we did that, they said my oga have to come from Lagos with me so they can bid the contract . He came and a list of *880,000* was given to us that it is for a traditional ceremony before the commencement of the project ...
See the picture of the list below..

After that. They gave us a contact of the said sponsor of the project that is claimed to base in Canada
+1289-201-2588 (doctor Charles
This number does not actually exist.its a WhatsApp link. Then for the canadian doctor to send the project money he said the montel Bank of Canada request for proof of project .then they demanded another 80k...so we decided to go online to search for the contacts established so far just to realize that we are just the ongoing out of many defrauded on this same matter...as am speaking with you they are steal asking for the *80k*..this are the contacts on this matter
👇
08148375976 .Nda Okey Nda Eddy (chairman)
08140538460 .chief Innocent. (Dr Charles Canada brother).
08124166787 Ebuka (youth leader)..
+1289-201-2588 .Dr Charles Canada.(project sponsor)

From Ngor Okpala.
Elelem and umuoye village precisely[color=#990000][/color]