A practising journalist-cum contractor in Rivers State, Mr. Innocent Amadi, appears to have shot himself on the leg this time around in his crass ambition to get-rich quick.

The ‘’Independent  Monitor Newspaper’’ reporter, who specialises in blackmailing his victims into submission for the purposes of extorting huge amounts of money from them, was, last Wednesday, caught red handed by the police in the civil service commission, while trying to perfect a scam operation.

The Tide learnt that he is now cooling his feet in the police cell awaiting trial.

According to an eyewitness account, the journalist made himself available to a plot to steal copies of Eze Mike Elechi’s certificates and other documents at the State Civil Service Commission, which Chief Okechukwu Okah’s group claimed, were fake in order to implicate and embarrass the former permanent secretary with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The Tide gathered that Amadi equally went to Elechi and played out the rehearsed storyline, urging his victim to part with a specific sum of money in order to ‘’kill’’ the story to avoid the embarrassment.

However, Elechi smelt a rat and told him that he was not interested as he was sure his certificates were real and genuinely earned.

The sources further narrated how the suspect, who has benefited a lot from his latest victim, suddenly turned to Judas Iscariot, and pitched his tent with Okah’s camp, which had assembled some journalists and directed them to procure Elechi’s documents at the CSC for the purpose of blackmail and character assassination.

According to sources, the Okah’s camp also planned to use such publication to further their court case against Elechi, alleging he became permanent secretary fraudulently.

The journalist eventually approached an administrative officer in charge of the Records in the civil service commission (name withheld) for the deal, lured the young man with his company’s (Ideca & Sons Service Nig) Polaris Bank cheque: No 47923729 valued at N50,000.00, promising to issue another cheque with an increased figure at the end of the deal, when all the service records of Elechi have been procured.

The storekeeper accepted the offer and started bringing out the documents in piece-meal but became dithery, and decided not to cash the cheque on September 17, 2020, but rather informed the CSC authorities, for necessary action.

The authorities, it was learnt, asked him to play along with the suspect and his group to a logical conclusion.

“On Monday, October 26, 2020, the duo agreed to meet at the civil service commission to conclude their transaction but the coast was not clear, and it was postponed to Wednesday, October 28, 2020.

“At this point, the authorities of the CSC felt it was time to call in the police to pick the culprit, especially with all the evidence gathered, including the video/audio recording gathered of their conversations.

“And so, on the D-Day, the police laid ambush at the civil service commission, and the traitor eventually surfaced, collected an envelope containing all the documents needed, and was happily hurrying out when he was arrested and forced into the police van after a fierce struggle.

“The Omerelu-born journalist in Ikwere LGA of Rivers State, in his confessional statement to the police, confirmed that his master, Chief Okechukwu Okah, assembled some journalists with a mouth-watering offer, and contracted them to procure the documents in order to use same to make a publication to boost his court case against Elechi”, the source added.

When contracted, Eze Mike Elechi, said that has left Innocent Amadi with his conscience and God, and urged the government to go to any length to unravel all the reasons why some people storm the office to steal the records of retired and serving officers of the state civil service.

The suspect was later arraigned before a Magistrate Court, where he was granted bail after taking his plea.