The Gombe State Police Command has arrested eight suspected members of a criminal syndicate allegedly involved in armed robbery and internet fraud across several communities in Gombe State.
The suspects were arrested following investigations into a robbery incident reported on June 7, 2026, in Wuro Birji, Akko Local Government Area.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the Police Public Relations Officer, Buhari Abdullahi, the victims, Hassan Muhammad and Jibril Hassan, reported that armed men wielding cutlasses invaded their homes and stole their mobile phones.
The police said the suspects later used information obtained from the stolen devices to gain unauthorised access to the victims’ bank accounts.
The statement revealed that the suspects fraudulently withdrew ₦296,790 from one victim’s GTBank account and also obtained and withdrew a Quick Loan of ₦205,205, bringing the total amount stolen to more than ₦500,000.
“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, Mustapha Kabiru, alias ‘Musty Bobo,’ a 19-year-old ND II Computer Science student of the Federal Polytechnic, Kaltungo,” the statement said.
Police said Kabiru confessed during interrogation 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 statement added.
According to the Command, investigations further revealed that the syndicate was allegedly responsible for more than 13 similar incidents in Wuro Birji, Riyal, Bomala and Jauro Jatau communities.
The police said investigations are ongoing, while efforts have been intensified to apprehend other members of the syndicate who remain at large.
The Commissioner of Police, Umar Ahmed Chuso, commended the operatives for their diligence and reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to combating violent crime and cybercrime.
“The Command remains unwavering in its commitment to tackling all forms of criminality, including cybercrime and violent offences. Members of the public are urged to remain vigilant, adequately secure their personal information and digital devices, and promptly report any suspicious activities to the nearest police station,” the commissioner said.