Metro
Police arrests Abuja businessman who exploit POS operators
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.
Gunmen suspected to be cultists have killed a young man identified as Chigozie Oluwu and abducted the President of Omoku Youth Federation, Ifeanyi Azuazu, in Omoku, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area (ONELGA) of Rivers State.
The Incident occurred at a popular bar along Ogolo Street, off Palace Road in Omoku, headquarters of ONELGA on Thursday, at about 6:00 pm.
It was gathered that the gunmen, numbering about seven, came in two vehicles and upon sighting the youth president, pointed gun at him and ordered him to enter the car.
According to sources, Oluwu, who was Azuazu’s personal aide, intervened and was shot dead by the gunmen, who succeeded in abducting the youth president and whisked him to an unknown destination.
The incident resulted to pandemonium as passersby and residents scampered for safety while some business owners hurriedly closed their shops for the day.
Meanwhile the ONELGA Security and Planning Advisory Committee (OSPAC) has recovered the beheaded body of the youth president in a forest in Elieta community on Friday afternoon.
The spokesperson for OSPAC in ONELGA, Godnews Nkem, confirmed the incident in a telephone interview with a reporter.
Nkem said Oluwu was shot dead at the youth president’s house while the lifeless body of the president, Azuazu, was found in a forest on Friday by OSPAC hours after his abduction by gunmen.
He advised residents of Omoku to remain calm and allow the Police, Department of State Security (DSS) and other relevant security agencies to carry out their investigation with a view to arresting the culprits.
The State Police Command is yet to make an official statement on the attack.
Suspected gunmen on Friday afternoon launched an attack on Anwase Market in Mbaikyor, Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State, abducting several women and setting the market on fire.
Eyewitnesses said the assailants emerged from a nearby mountain and began shooting sporadically to instil fear among residents before torching market stalls and seizing women traders.
According to reports, the attackers fled with the abducted victims towards the mountainous terrain before security operatives could reach the area.
An eyewitness stated that by the time residents attempted to mobilise a response, the market had already been consumed by flames, forcing many traders to flee in different directions to escape the assault.
Efforts to reach the Benue State Police Public Relations Officer for comments as of the time of filing this report were unsuccessful, as calls and messages were not returned.
Kidnappers who abducted two residents of Ora-Igbomina, a border community in Ifedayo Local Government Area of Osun State, have demanded a N100 million ransom for their release.
The Nation learnt that the victims, Tayese Adeyeye and Sunday Adewumi, were abducted around 11:30 p.m. on Sunday when gunmen invaded a private residence along the Aran–Orin Road in the Papa area of the town.
Confirming the development on Thursday, the Ora-Igbomina Youth Front, led by Comrade Omololu Abidoye, said the kidnappers had contacted the community to demand N100 million for the release of the abducted residents.
Abidoye lamented that the latest incident followed the abduction of a retired Customs officer in the community on December 15, 2025, describing the situation as increasingly disturbing.
“It is becoming worrisome. These repeated attacks have thrown our community into disarray, creating chronic fear and immeasurable tension among residents,” he said.
He also criticised Governor Ademola Adeleke, accusing the state government of failing to take decisive steps to prevent the recurring incidents of kidnapping in the area.
“Today, in less than two months after the first ever community invasion and kidnapping recorded in our town, another has happened on Sunday, February 1st, 2026. Leaving two sons of the soil whisked away. Unarguably, the inability of security agencies to bring to book, the perpetrators involved in the first case has created a convenient avenue for evil doers who specialized in kidnapping-for-ransom to strike again.”
He disclosed that “The kidnappers have contacted us to demand for N100million ransom, where do we get that from?, We are farmers who love peace above all things.”
Abidoye on behalf of the community demanded that Osun Government should put physical security barriers in place to define and demarcate the State boundary which will prevent unauthorized entry into the state through the Ora border.
“We demand Human and Operational Security be put in place for effective surveillance and community watch solely for territorial gatekeeping. We demand a Military checkpoint in Ora to enable a comprehensive security posture, against organized crime in volatile border area like our community.”
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