\n\n
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 the state. According to the police, the arrests followed investigations into a robbery reported on June 7, 2026, in Wuro Birji, Akko Local Government Area, where armed men allegedly invaded homes with cutlasses, stole mobile phones and later used information stored on the devices to gain unauthorised access to the victims’ bank accounts.
Police spokesperson Buhari Abdullahi said investigators traced one of the fraudulent transactions to a Moniepoint account, leading to the arrest of the prime suspect, Mustapha Kabiru, also known as “Musty Bobo,” a 19-year-old ND II Computer Science student of the Federal Polytechnic, Kaltungo. During interrogation, he allegedly confessed to using information obtained from stolen phones to access victims’ bank accounts, a development that led to the arrest of seven additional suspects. Investigators said the syndicate fraudulently withdrew ₦296,790 from one victim’s GTBank account and also obtained a Quick Loan of ₦205,205, bringing the total amount stolen to over ₦500,000.
The police further revealed that the group is suspected to be behind more than 13 similar incidents in the Wuro Birji, Riyal, Bomala, and Jauro Jatau communities. Commissioner of Police Umar Ahmed Chuso commended the operatives for the successful operation and reaffirmed the command’s commitment to tackling both violent crime and cybercrime. He also urged residents to protect their personal information and digital devices while promptly reporting suspicious activities, adding that efforts are ongoing to apprehend other members of the syndicate still at large.
