The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Kwara State Command, has arrested a 32-year-old suspected phone extortionist, Adetokunbo Adeshina, over alleged threats and extortion of unsuspecting members of the public.

The Command's spokesperson, ASC I Ayoola Michael Shola, said the arrest followed multiple complaints from victims who alleged that the suspect habitually placed threatening telephone calls, demanding money while warning that they would be attacked if they failed to comply.

According to the NSCDC, the latest case involved a victim, whose identity was withheld for security reasons, from whom the suspect allegedly demanded N500,000 while threatening violence against him, his family and his business.

Shola said intelligence-led investigations led operatives to Ibadan, Oyo State, where the suspect was arrested.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect allegedly obtained victims' telephone numbers through Facebook before repeatedly calling them with threats intended to instill fear and coerce them into making payments.

During the operation, operatives recovered eight registered SIM cards belonging to different telecommunications networks, believed to have been used in carrying out the alleged criminal activities.

The NSCDC said the suspect remains in custody while investigations continue to uncover the full extent of the alleged extortion network. The Command added that he would be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations.