The Bauchi State Police Command has apprehended a suspected fraudster, Umar Yau, popularly known as ‘Snake.’
The arrest was disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday by the State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Ahmed Wakil.
According to Wakil, the suspect resides in the Yelwan Makaranta area of Bauchi metropolis and was taken into custody following an extensive investigation triggered by a petition filed by an online businesswoman, Mrs. Fatimah Bawahab.
“The petition outlined a series of fraudulent activities attributed to an individual utilising a deceptive online identity and operating two bank accounts.
“In March 2022, one Nafiu Muhammad alerted the complainant, Mrs Bawahab, regarding an individual using the Facebook username ‘Amizeebaby Muhd’.
“The suspect was advertising an online business and soliciting payments to a bank account registered in the name Hansatu Yau.
“Following the payment made by Mr Muhd, he was subsequently blocked from further communication, leading to suspicions that the accused employed multiple accounts to facilitate these fraudulent transactions, with the name Umar Ya’u,” Wakil said.
The PPRO further stated that subsequent incidents emerged in early 2023 when various individuals informed Bawahab that a Facebook account impersonating her with her name and photographs had been created.
“This account was reported to have actively defrauded innocent individuals online through payments directed to the same bank account named Hansatu Yau.
“The fraudulent demands persisted until the victims contacted Mrs Bawahab for verification, at which they realised they had fallen victim to a scam,” he said.
Wakil added that to identify the individual responsible, Bawahab engaged with the unknown person, who insisted upon receiving payments through the previously identified fraudulent bank accounts.
He explained that upon receipt of the petition, the Commissioner of Police, Bauchi State Police Command directed the Monitoring Unit to conduct a thorough and discreet investigation.
“On June 5, 2025 at about 9 pm, detectives employed technology-driven investigative techniques, successfully identifying Umar Yau as the individual behind the Facebook account ‘Amizeebaby Muhd.’
“Investigation results indicated that Umar Yau had been engaged in defrauding unsuspecting members of the public online since 2019 through numerous accounts, under the names Yau Hansatu and Umar Yau.
“During the arrest, the detectives recovered several items from the suspect including nine ATM cards from various banks, alongside a completed bank account opening form that was filled out without the consent of his sister, Maryam Yau, along with her academic documents.
“Two National Identification Number plastic cards bearing the suspect’s information, three voter’s cards reflecting the suspect’s details, three new SIM cards from different telecommunications providers, one ZTE Universal Mobile 4G MiFi device and one Infinix Smart 9 smartphone box,” he said.
The police spokesperson revealed that Yau admitted to having a long history of fraudulent activities, spanning five years, and confessed to expanding his schemes into cryptocurrency. He reportedly defrauded approximately 40 victims through various marketing scams.
Following a preliminary investigation, the Bauchi State Police Command has officially transferred the case and the suspect to the Kano State Police Command for further investigation and possible prosecution for the identified offences.