The Yobe State Police Command has dismantled a five-member gang specialising in fake bank transfers and suspected counterfeit currency schemes. SP Dungus Abdulkarim, the command's spokesman, confirmed the arrests in a statement released on Sunday.
Officers from Potiskum Division arrested the suspects on July 18, 2026, following a complaint from a victim who said he'd been defrauded of 10 bags of fertiliser valued at N488,000 through a fraudulent transfer notification. The gang struck that same day.
The arrested men are Mohammad Ibrahim from Don Etiebet Estate in Damaturu, Abdullahi Aliyu of Kofar Ruwa in Kano State, Muhammad Mukhtar from Commissioners' Quarters in Damaturu, and Mohammad Bashir and Alhaji Ahmad Mohammad, both residents of Obasanjo Estate in Damaturu. Police caught them before they could move the merchandise.
A hotel search in Damaturu uncovered 10 suspected fake US $100 notes and 56 pieces of what appeared to be counterfeit 50,000 Somali Shilling notes. Officers also seized one calabash, a black-and-white cloth, perfume bottles, and various suspected charms and ritual objects.
Investigators are working to trace where the counterfeit notes came from and whether the syndicate produced or distributed the fake currency. The suspects are cooperating with detectives, according to the statement.
In separate cases, the command arrested two men on child rape allegations. On July 18 at around 2 p.m., Habu Haruna, 24, was apprehended by Garin Alkali Division officers in Bursari local government area for allegedly luring and sexually assaulting a seven-year-old girl in a bush.
The girl received medical care and counselling support at a health facility. A day later on July 19 at roughly 4 p.m., detectives at Bara Division arrested Mohammed Yau, 65, accused of raping an eight-year-old girl inside an uncompleted building in Kojole Village.
Both victims underwent forensic and clinical examinations at a hospital. Police Commissioner Usman Kanfani Jibrin condemned the sexual assaults as "cruel, inhumane and unacceptable" in the statement.
He instructed investigators to complete their inquiries urgently and vowed that anyone found guilty would face prosecution. The command has pledged swift justice in both cases.
