Police detain 5 over alleged scam in Yobe

The Police Command in Yobe has detained five persons for allegedly defrauding a trader, Audu Shehu, of N500,000 in Dapchi, Bursari Local Government Area of the state.

The Command’s Spokesman, SP Dungus Abdulkarim, who confirmed this in a statement in Damaturu on Tuesday, said the money was recovered from the syndicate.

He said the suspects were arrested on Jan. 6 through a joint operation involving men of the State Intelligence Department (SID) and Tarmuwa Divisional Police Headquarters.

Abdulkarim said the syndicate allegedly lured Shehu into believing they possessed magical powers to boost his sales and ward off his enemies.

“Their modus operandi involves approaching targets, pretending to be travellers seeking assistance, and subsequently deceiving victims into parting ways with large sums of money under the guise of performing fetish work,” the spokesman said.

He said the suspects claimed that the fraud was their first offence in Yobe, but confessed to having operated in Adamawa, Gombe, and Taraba states for over three years.

Abdulkarim said the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Garba Ahmed, urged the public to report suspected persons to the nearest police station.

The spokesman reiterated the command’s readiness to protect lives and property in the state.