The Katsina State Police Command has arrested five members of a syndicate who specialize in defrauding unsuspecting members of the public.
Attempts by members of the syndicate to outsmart one another led police into its( syndicate) activities.
Aside the arrest, police investigation had also led to the recovery of items including
One Peugeot 206 (Ash color);
One (1) Mercedes-Benz C300 (White color);
GSM Handsets including Samsung Fold, Redmi, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 13;
Cash sum of Two Million Naira (₦2,000,000);
Nine (9) NIN Cards (3 retrieved from each of the primary suspects);
Nine (9) BVN slips/documents (bearing fraudulent names)
One (1) additional NIN Card;
Nine (9) ATM Cards; Fourteen (14) SIM Cards,;
Twelve (12) SIM packs of various networks used in committing the crimes.
The Spokesman for the State Police Command, DSP Abubakar Aliyu confirmed the development on Sunday.
He explained’ ‘ The Katsina State Police Command has recorded a major breakthrough in its sustained fight against cyber and financial crimes following the arrest of five suspected fraudsters who specialized in defrauding unsuspecting members of the public through fraudulent bank transactions.
” On October 27, 2026, at about 10:00 AM, a complaint letter was received at the office of the Commissioner of Police on behalf of one Nasir Dan-Rimi. The petition stated that on October 10, 2026, at about 3:45 PM, the complainant entrusted one Ahmed Abdulhakim, ‘m’, aged 23 years, with the sum of Ten Million Naira (₦10,000,000) to complete an ongoing transaction on his behalf.
” Upon receiving the funds into his personal bank account, the suspect absconded and converted the entire amount to his personal use, with all attempts to retrieve the money proving abortive.
” Detectives immediately launched an investigation, tracked down, and arrested the suspect. During interrogation, Ahmed confessed to the crime and revealed that the money in question was part of a criminal enterprise, admitting that both he and the complainant are fraudsters who specialize in defrauding unsuspecting victims.
” The investigation was extended to the syndicate’s operational base—a local hotel—where the following suspects were arrested:
Abdulrahman Abdullahi (a.k.a. Khaila), ‘m’, 24 ;
Mustapha Ayuba, 24 ;
” Investigations revealed that the suspects had lodged in the hotel for an extended period, utilizing it as their primary base of operations.
” Also arrested was Fahad Ahmad, the Assistant Manager of the hotel, for harbouring criminals. He was found to have deliberately assisted the syndicate by frequently moving them between rooms to obstruct security operatives and evade tracking.
” It was further discovered that the first three suspects possessed multiple falsified identity documents to operate numerous accounts:
” Ahmed: Possessed 3 different BVNs and NINs, operating 13 bank accounts.
” Abdulrahman Abdullahi: Possessed 3 different BVNs and NINs, operating 6 bank accounts.
‘ Mustapha Ayuba: Possessed 3 different BVNs and NINs, operating 6 bank accounts.
” All accounts were registered under false names to conceal their identities.
‘ The suspects further indicted Saifullahi Idris (‘m’) and Umar Faruq Bala (‘m’), who assisted the syndicate in generating fake BVN and NIN documents. All arrested suspects have confessed to their roles in the crime.
” Exhibits recovered from the suspects as proceeds of crime include:
One (1) Peugeot 206 (Ash color);
One (1) Mercedes-Benz C300 (White color); GSM Handsets: Samsung Fold, Redmi, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 13
; Cash sum of Two Million Naira (₦2,000,000);
Nine (9) NIN Cards (3 retrieved from each of the primary suspects);
Nine (9) BVN slips/documents (bearing fraudulent names);
One (1) additional NIN Card;
Nine (9) ATM Cards;
Fourteen (14) SIM Cards;
Twelve (12) SIM packs of various networks used in committing the crimes.
” Additionally, the command has successfully secured bank freezes on accounts containing ₦19,000,000 and ₦3,000,000 respectively (totalling ₦22,000,000).
” Investigations further revealed that the original complainant, Aminu Nasir Dan-Rimi, along with one Surajo Sani Muhammad, are the ringleaders of the syndicate and are currently at large.
‘ Intensified efforts are underway to track down and arrest the fleeing suspects.
” The Commissioner of Police, Katsina State Command, CP Ali Umar Fage, while commending the operatives for their diligence and professionalism, reiterated the Command’s unrelenting commitment to combating all forms of financial and cybercrime in the state.
” He warned hotel owners and managers to desist from harbouring criminals, and urged members of the public to promptly report suspicious persons or transactions to the Police.’
