Zone One Police Arrest Suspect, Recover 29 Phones in Fake Ushering Job Scam

The Zone One Police Headquarters in Kano has arrested a 32-year-old suspect, Richard Peter, in connection with a fraudulent ushering job scam targeting students of Bayero University Kano, recovering twenty-nine mobile phones and other stolen items.

The arrest followed a petition submitted on May 12, 2026, by a group of students led by Clementina Paul to the office of the Assistant Inspector-General of Police. The students alleged that the suspect deceived them with promises of ushering jobs and subsequently defrauded them.

Police investigations revealed that the suspect, acting through an accomplice identified as Faith Dauda, invited 38 female students to Mairabo Hotel in Sabon Gari area of Kano on May 10, 2026. Upon arrival, the victims were provided a room to change and instructed to leave their phones behind under the pretext that such items were not permitted at the supposed job venue.

The suspect reportedly took the victims to the hotel restaurant, ordered food valued at ₦6,000 per person, and absconded without settling the bill. After waiting for hours, the victims returned to the room only to discover that their phones and other belongings had been stolen.

Using intelligence and technical tracking, police traced one of the stolen phones to Kano Line Motor Park. Although the suspect had boarded a vehicle en route to Lagos, he was intercepted and arrested in Zaria, Kaduna State. The recovered items have since been secured, while the suspect remains in custody at the Zonal Criminal Investigation Department and will be charged to court upon conclusion of investigations.

The Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone One, Garba Ahmed, commended officers for the swift and intelligence-driven operation. He also urged members of the public to exercise caution when dealing with unverified job offers, advising them not to hand over personal belongings to strangers and to report suspicious activities to the nearest police station.