Bauchi police arrest notorious cybercrime suspect “Snake” for years-long online fraud, identity theft

The Bauchi State Police Command has arrested a 25-year-old suspected cybercriminal, Umar Yau, popularly known as “Snake”, for allegedly running an elaborate online fraud and identity theft operation that dates back to 2019.

His arrest followed a petition by an online entrepreneur, Mrs. Fatimah Faiz Ali Bawahab, who accused an unknown person of impersonating her on social media to defraud unsuspecting victims. The suspect allegedly used her name and photos to create fake Facebook accounts and scam individuals through fraudulent transactions.

The first red flag was raised in 2022 when Nafiu Muhd, a victim, reported being duped after transferring money to a First Bank account in the name Hansatu Yau. He was blocked after the payment, prompting suspicion of a wider cyber fraud network.

By early 2023, more victims began contacting Mrs. Bawahab, claiming they had been swindled by a Facebook account using her identity. Investigations revealed that multiple payments were routed through the same Hansatu Yau account, confirming a pattern of impersonation and fraud.

Under the directive of Commissioner of Police, CP Sani-Omolori Aliyu, detectives from the CP Monitoring Unit launched a discreet, tech-driven operation that led to Umar’s arrest on June 5, 2025, in the Yelwan Makaranta area of Bauchi.

Items recovered from the suspect include:

• 9 ATM cards from various banks

• A completed FCMB account opening form using his sister’s identity and academic documents

• 2 National Identification Number (NIN) cards bearing his details

• 3 Voter’s cards in his name

• 3 new SIM cards from different telecom providers

• 1 ZTE 4G MiFi device

• 1 Infinix Smart 9 smartphone box

According to a statement by the command’s spokesperson, Ahmed Wakil, Umar confessed during interrogation to defrauding around 40 victims, including individuals involved in cryptocurrency transactions. He admitted to managing multiple fake bank accounts and using various aliases to trick people into bogus deals.

Following his arrest, the Bauchi State Police Command handed the case over to the Kano State Police Command for further investigation and prosecution.