Police arrest eight over alleged phone theft, loan fraud in Gombe

The Gombe State Police Command has arrested eight young men for allegedly stealing mobile phones and using them to obtain loans through the victims’ devices.

The Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Buhari Abdullahi, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday, July 5, 2026.

The statement said the case began after residents of Wuro Birji community in Akko Local Government Area reported that their mobile phones had been stolen.

Police alleged that the suspects used the stolen phones to access the victims’ bank accounts, from which they withdrew N296,790. They also allegedly obtained instant loans amounting to N205,205 using the victims’ information.

The statement further revealed that investigations led to the arrest of 19-year-old Mustapha Kabiru, a Computer Science student at the Federal College of Education (Technical), Kaltungo.

According to the police, information obtained during the investigation led to the arrest of seven additional suspects, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend other individuals believed to be connected to the crime.