Two suspected fraudsters nabbed in Adamawa with 23 ATM cards

Two men suspected of engaging in banking fraud have been arrested in Adamawa State with 23 ATM cards.

The suspects were arrested by operatives of the Adamawa State Police Command attached to the State Intelligence Department for alleged ATM card-swap fraud.

The suspects, Yusuf Maika, 50, and Abubakar Mustapha, 52, both residents of Jos, Plateau State, were arrested for allegedly defrauding one Yunusa Usman of ₦400,000 at an Access Bank ATM cubicle in Adamawa State.

“The arrest followed a complaint lodged by the victim and immediate response from the bank’s staff on Monday, September 7, 2026,” the police said in a statement issued by the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Suleiman Nguroje.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects specialise in targeting ATM users experiencing network or transaction difficulties,” Nguroje explained.

He added that the suspects offer unsolicited assistance to such victims, observe their PINs and subsequently swap their ATM cards with similar cards without their knowledge.

“The suspects would then use a mobile POS machine to withdraw or transfer funds from the victims’ accounts,” Nguroje added.

According to him, items recovered from the suspects include 23 ATM cards issued to different owners by various banks, one Moniepoint POS machine allegedly used to debit victims’ accounts and ₦400,000, being proceeds of the alleged fraud.

“During interrogation, the suspects disclosed that they came to Adamawa State from Jos, Plateau State, last week for the purpose of perpetrating the crime,” Nguroje further explained.

He assured that the suspects would remain in police custody and be charged to court upon completion of the investigation.