The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has apprehended a couple, consisting of a 36-year-old mother of two named Bunmi Samuel and her boyfriend, Nuhu Zaria, for engaging in theft and fraudulent activities using stolen SIM cards.
CP Haruna Garba, the FCT Commissioner of Police, presented the couple, along with other suspects, at the command headquarters in Abuja on September 7, 2023. According to the Commissioner, the couple had a specific modus operandi: they specialized in snatching mobile phones from unsuspecting commuters and subsequently utilized bank USSD codes to withdraw money from the victims' accounts.
The Commissioner explained that operatives from the Durumi Police Division, acting on credible information, tracked down and arrested Nuhu Zaria, who was responsible for stealing GSM phones from innocent commuters. After pilfering the phones, he would extract the SIM cards and sell the devices, then transferring the SIM cards to his girlfriend, Bunmi Samuel.
Bunmi Samuel, in turn, would proceed to withdraw all available funds from the bank accounts linked to these SIM cards. During their arrest, law enforcement officers recovered a total of 76 SIM cards, two Opay ATM cards, and a valuable wristwatch from the suspects.
In a confession to the media, the female suspect admitted to being involved in this criminal activity for over a year.
