Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Gombe State Police Command has arrested eight suspected members of a criminal syndicate allegedly involved in a sophisticated network of armed robbery and internet fraud that terrorised several communities across the state, marking a significant breakthrough in the fight against cyber-enabled crimes in the region. The suspects were arrested following investigations into a robbery incident reported on June 7, 2026, in Wuro Birji, Akko Local Government Area, where two residents had their homes invaded by armed men wielding cutlasses who stole their mobile phones. According to a statement issued on Sunday, July 5, 2026, by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Buhari Abdullahi, the victims, Hassan Muhammad and Jibril Hassan, reported that the assailants broke into their residences and dispossessed them of their mobile phones. What the victims did not know at the time was that the stolen devices would become the gateway to a far more damaging crime.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects used information obtained from the stolen phones to gain unauthorised access to the victims' bank accounts. The syndicate fraudulently withdrew ₦296,790 from one victim's GTBank account and further obtained and withdrew a Quick Loan amounting to ₦205,205, bringing the total amount stolen to more than ₦500,000. The police said the suspects exploited personal data stored on the devices, including banking app credentials, saved passwords, and other sensitive information, to perpetrate the fraud. This modus operandi, which combines physical violence with digital exploitation, has emerged as a growing threat across Nigeria, where mobile phones have become repositories of financial and personal data.
Acting on credible intelligence and following painstaking technical analysis of the fraudulent transactions, operatives successfully traced one transaction to a Moniepoint account, which led to the arrest of the first suspect. The suspect was identified as Mustapha Kabiru, alias "Musty Bobo," a 19-year-old National Diploma II Computer Science student of the Federal Polytechnic, Kaltungo, who was arrested on June 29, 2026. During interrogation, Kabiru confessed to using information obtained from stolen mobile phones to access victims' bank accounts and carry out fraudulent transactions. His confession subsequently led to the arrest of seven additional suspects. The police have not yet released the identities of the other seven suspects, but investigations are ongoing to determine their individual roles in the syndicate.
Further investigations revealed that the syndicate was allegedly responsible for more than 13 similar incidents across the Wuro Birji, Riyal, Bomala, and Jauro Jatau communities within the state. This suggests a well-organised criminal network operating across multiple locations, with a consistent pattern of armed robbery followed by digital fraud. The police said investigations were ongoing, while efforts had been intensified to apprehend other members of the syndicate who remain at large. The Commissioner of Police, CP Umar Ahmed Chuso, commended the operatives for their diligence and professionalism in dismantling the criminal network and reaffirmed the command's unwavering commitment to tackling all forms of criminality, including cybercrime and violent offences. "The command remains unwavering in its commitment to tackling all forms of criminality, including cybercrime and violent offences," the commissioner said in the statement. He further urged members of the public to remain vigilant, adequately secure their personal information and digital devices, and promptly report any suspicious activities to the nearest police station.
The arrest of the eight suspects comes amid growing concerns over the intersection of physical crime and cyber fraud in Nigeria. Criminal syndicates are increasingly combining armed robbery with digital exploitation, using stolen mobile phones as entry points into victims' financial lives. This trend poses significant challenges for law enforcement, requiring both traditional investigative skills and technical expertise in digital forensics. The Gombe State Police Command's success in this case demonstrates the effectiveness of intelligence-led policing and technical analysis in combating such hybrid crimes. The police have urged residents to take proactive measures to protect their digital information, including using strong passwords, enabling two-factor authentication on banking apps, and avoiding the storage of sensitive information on mobile devices. As the investigation continues and efforts to apprehend fleeing suspects intensify, the people of Gombe State can take some solace in the knowledge that their security forces are making headway against a criminal syndicate that has caused significant harm to communities across the state.
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