Institute Alerts On Fake Insurance Firms

The Enugu State Chairman of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria, Mr Emmanuel Onu, has advised Nigerians against patronising fake insurance firms.

Onu, who spoke in Enugu on Friday when he visited the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) as part of activities to mark the 2011 insurance week, explained that the advice was to forestall non-payment of claims to clients.

He said the institute had set up a monitoring team to flush out dubious persons in the insurance profession.

“As part of activities to mark Insurance Week, we decided to partner with the media to assist us to educate, create awareness and enlighten the public on our operations.

“Insurance today is no longer business as usual because a lot of innovations have been introduced in our operations to ensure good service delivery.

“Many companies have re-capitalised to enable them to fully pay insurance claims to the insured,’’ he said.

He listed other activities lined up for the week as seminars; Miss Insurance pageant and fitness walk.

Mr Tony Nezianya, Enugu Zonal Manager of NAN, had observed that many Nigerians needed to be enlightened on the operations of insurance companies to enable them to benefit from their services.

Nezianya stressed the need for the institute to step up its awareness campaign to increase patronage from the public.

He said with the risks involved in media work, there was a need for a synergy between media workers and the insurance industry.

He stressed the need for the insurance industry to address alleged fraudulent practices in the sector to restore public confidence.

In another development, seven persons, including a mother of three children have been arrested by a combined team of detectives from the Enugu State Police Command and soldiers over their alleged involvement in kidnapping of the provost of the Federal College of Education Eha Amufu, Enugu State, Professor Ben Mbah.

Mbah, who was kidnapped by unknown gunmen last week, at the premises of the institution, has also been rescued by members of the team. He has since rejoined happily members of his family.

Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer, (PPRO), ASP Ebere Amaraizu, who disclosed this to newsmen in Enugu, explained that the team arrested a mother of three for allegedly belonging to a Port Harcourt based kidnapping gang.

According to him, one of the suspects who was earlier arrested on the day of the incident gave the combined team the information that led to the clamping down of the Port Harcourt based gang.

He further stated that the suspect took the security operatives to Port Harcourt where they got more information about the whereabouts of the kidnapped professor, revealing that the mother of three who is a member of the gang told the operatives that the professor was still at a forest at Obolofor, in Enugu State, where the kidnappers had dragged him into, the first day they abducted him.

The state police image maker said that the arrested suspects are now helping the police with more information that would assist them in apprehending the remaining suspects still at large.

Recovered from the hoodlums, Amaraizu also said, were several Ak 47 Rifles, many rounds of ammunition, as well as other dangerous weapons allegedly used by the hoodlums on the day they kidnapped the college provost at the premises of the institution.