Ibrahim Mahmud, a 32-year-old businessman, has been arrested by operatives of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command, Abuja for allegedly masterminding a sophisticated Point of Sale (POS) scam.

Mahmud, a Civil Engineering graduate, was arrested after a detailed investigation which followed the swapping of a POS machine at a shop in Karshi last December.

The suspect allegedly used an advanced hacking tool to transfer ₦1 million from an unsuspecting victim’s account; a development that has further exposed the weaknesses in the country’s digital payment systems.

Mahmud was alleged to have walked into the POS shop of Odo Hilary, a popular business operator at Karshi, posing as a customer.

While Odo was processing the transaction, Mahmud who had engaged him in a conversation in order to distract him, swapped the POS machine with an identical one he smuggled into the shop.

Unaware of the swap, Odo continued his daily business only to notice by evening that something was amiss. He decided to check the transaction records and discovered that he had been locked out of his system.

Alarmed, he inspected the device and realised, to his dismay, that his POS machine had been replaced.

Odo immediately reported the incident to the Karshi Police Station, which escalated the matter to the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Abuja.

Detectives assigned to handle the case commenced investigation and swiftly traced a fraudulent N1,000,000 transaction with half of the million transferred to one Abdulsalam Abdulsamad, a long time  acquaintance of Mahmud.

It was discovered that the suspect funneled the remaining N500,000 through multiple bank accounts which made recovery difficult.

As the investigation progressed, forensic experts at the FCT Command looked into Mahmud’s digital footprints and discovered his elaborate fraudulent activities.

It was discovered that Mahmud’s small clothing business in Karshi was merely a front as he was allegedly neck-deep into electronic fraud, targeting POS vendors across the city.

Armed with irrefutable evidence, the police launched a manhunt for Mahmud and apprehended him on January 21.

The police subsequently arrested Abdulsamad for allegedly receiving proceeds of crime, laundering the money and requesting for his share, knowing full well the N500,000 sent to him was stolen.

It was gathered that Mahmud initially denied all the allegations against him but surrendered and confessed after the police presented evidence.

Mahmud admitted to the police that he used a hacking tool called ‘Ghost App’, to scan POS machines and obtain their security credentials.

“With Ghost App, Mahmud could steal account details, bypass PIN verification and initiate unauthorised transactions.

“He admitted to repeating this scam multiple times, making POS business operators his primary target,” a source said.

The Nation gathered that the two suspects were charged with fraud, unauthorised access to banking data and multiple cybercrime-related offences by the police.

Reacting to the development, the Federal Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) warned that law enforcement agents were actively tracking digital fraudsters and working with cyber-security experts to dismantle underground hacking tools like Ghost App.

The FCT Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, assured business owners that stricter security measures would be introduced to protect electronic transactions from similar cyber fraud attempts.

“This case serves as a wake-up call for all POS vendors and digital merchants in Nigeria. Cybercriminals are evolving, but so are we.

“We are committed to tracking, arresting and prosecuting those who exploit digital payment systems,” Disu said.

The police boss advised business owners to always inspect their POS devices to be sure they have not been tampered with; enable instant transaction alerts on all accounts; regularly change PINs and security codes, as well as remain cautious of distractions during customer interactions.

A Customary Court sitting in Rumuogba, Rivers State, on Friday stopped a woman, Mrs. Kate Ngbor, from continuing to bear her former husband’s name “with immediate effect” eleven years after the divorce.

The claimant, Chief Sam Ngbor, in Suit No: OCC/9/2021, sought the Court’s order to restrain his ex-wife, Mrs Kate Mgbor, from continuing to bear his name.

The Court, after hearing the submissions from E. O. Erhirhi, counsel of the claimant and R.U. Egwenre, counsel for the defendant granted the orders.

Delivering the judgment, the Chairman of the Customary Court, His H.A. Nnokam and member, L. G. Wokeh ordered that “the defendant has no right, except on the express permission of the claimant, to continue to bear or answer the name ‘Ngbor’ or ‘Sam-Ngbor’ (as the case may be).”

The Customary Court Chairman, said, “The court ordered the defendant to revert to her maiden name or any other name of her choice, excepting ‘Ngbor’ or ‘Sam-Ngbor’ as the case may be.”

“The court restrained the defendant from further bearing the name Mrs. Kate Ngbor or Mrs. Kate Sam-Ngbor (as the case may be) or further parading herself or holding herself out in this names howsoever”, the judgement further read.

With the judgement, the Court consequently stripped the defendant of the name ‘Ngbor’ or ‘Sam-Ngbor’.

Neither the claimant nor the defendant was in Court while the judgment was delivered, but the duo was represented by their legal counsels.

Unknown gunmen invaded a pharmacy shop, shot a young lady and abducted the pharmacy owner and two of his sales boys at Agyaragu in Jenkwe development area, Obi local government.

The operation which took place at about 8:44pm on Thursday, in the heart of Agyaragu town lasted for about an hour without any security interference.

An eyewitness who preferred anonymity told our reporter that the gunmen invaded the popular ‘Emmy Gold Pharmacy Nigeria Limited’, shooting sporadically and gunning down an innocent young lady who was a passerby.

“The gunmen were well armed. Their shutting scared everybody. They forced the owner of the pharmacy and two of his boys into the bush,” the eyewitness explained.

He disclosed further that efforts by some youths in the community to resist the assailants from carrying out their act were resisted with heavy repealing shootings.

The act of violence has sent shockwaves throughout the community, highlighting the urgent need for increased security measures and effective governance.

One resident, Jonah Yakubu, lamented that Agyaragu community is living in fear, as the frequency and brazenness of kidnapping incidents continue to escalate.

The demand for ransom has become a recurring theme, with families and loved ones being forced to pay exorbitant sums to secure the release of their abducted relatives.

Mr. Yakubu called on the governor to increase security presence in Agyaragu community and surrounding areas.

He also appealed to the security agents. Implement effective measures to prevent kidnapping and ensure the safe release of abducted individuals.

All efforts to reach the spokesperson of the Nasarawa State Police Command to confirm the incident failed.