Police Arrest Man For Defrauding Female Students With Fake Job Offers in Kano
A 32-year-old Lagos-based man, Richard Peter, has been arrested by operatives of the Zone One Police Headquarters in Kano over an alleged fake ushering job scheme targeting female students of Bayero University, Kano.
The suspect was accused of deceiving 38 female students into attending what was presented as an ushering engagement, only for their phones and valuables to disappear after they were lodged in a hotel in Kano.
According to a statement issued by the Zone’s Police Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Hussaini, the incident was reported to the office of the Assistant Inspector-General of Police on May 12, 2026.
The statement explained that the students, led by Clementina Paul, submitted a petition alleging that the suspect defrauded them under the guise of offering ushering jobs.
Police investigations revealed that the suspect, through an associate identified as Faith Dauda, allegedly invited the students to Mairabo Hotel in the Sabon Gari area of Kano on May 10.
Upon arrival, the victims were reportedly asked to change into ushering outfits and leave behind their phones and personal belongings because mobile phones were allegedly not allowed at the event venue.
The suspect later took the students to the hotel restaurant, where he reportedly ordered food worth ₦6,000 for each of them before disappearing without settling the bill.
After waiting for several hours, the students returned to their room and discovered that their phones and other valuables had been stolen.
Police said intelligence gathering and technical tracking led operatives to one of the stolen phones at Kano Line Motor Park along Zaria Road.
The suspect had reportedly boarded a vehicle heading to Lagos before police operatives intercepted and arrested him in Zaria, Kaduna State.
Authorities said 29 mobile phones and other stolen items belonging to the victims were recovered from the suspect.
The police added that the suspect is currently being detained at the Zonal Criminal Investigation Department and would be charged in court after investigations are concluded.
The Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone One Headquarters, Kano, Garba Ahmed, commended the operatives for the swift operation and warned Nigerians, especially job seekers, to verify employment offers before attending engagements.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
