A 23-year-old salesgirl, Sarah Ogbonna, has been arrested for allegedly stealing mobile phones and cash worth N29 million from a shop where she was working at Obasanjo Commercial Complex, Minna, Niger State Capital.
Penpushing reports that the Niger State Police Command Public Relations Officer Wasiu Abiodun who confirmed the arrest of the suspect, added that she used part of the money to rent and furnish an apartment for her boyfriend, Samuel Bello in the Sauka-Kauta area of Minna.
The command added that the suspect, who resides on Okada Road, Minna, reportedly transferred additional money to his boyfriend said to be at large as at the time of filing this report.
Penpushing further reports that Abiodun, stated that the suspect confessed during interrogation that she also participated in a weekly financial contribution of N150,000 with an unidentified online group.
The statement added that the elder sister of the suspect Mercy Ogbonna (30), was also arrested, alleged to have received multiple transfers from her younger sister to help with family issues, including paying rent and purchasing food and other necessities.
Penpushing also reports that in same vein, two other individuals were equally arrested in connection with the alleged theft, including Ruth Emmanuel (23), a colleague of the suspect who allegedly took part in the stealing before leaving the job.
The statement added that other suspects include Nurudeen Musa (32) of Obasanjo Complex, Minna, who was accused of receiving the stolen goods and selling them at low prices, and that the arrests were made on August 8, 2025 following a report from the shop owner, a phone dealer at Obasanjo Complex, Minna.
Penpushing reports that the command explained that the owner reported that Ogbonna allegedly stole items and phones from his shop, worth over N29 million, stressing that the police immediately swift into action and got the suspect arrested
“Immediately the report was received, police operatives of the division arrested the said Sarah, and during interrogation, she confessed to the allegation, stating that she had been working in the shop since 2023 and she wouldn’t know if what she had taken so far could amount to N29 million, but a sum of N700,000 was immediately recovered from her. Her statement led to the arrest of three other accomplices on August 9, 2025’, the statement reads
“Further investigation revealed that Sarah made multiple transfers of money to her senior sister, Mercy Ogbonna, who sorts family challenges on her behalf, such as payment of house rents, purchase of food items, and other needs for the families’, the statement said.
Penpushing further reports that the statement added that, one Ruth Emmanuel was also a salesgirl in the shop, and she allegedly participated in some of the acts before she left, while Nurudeen Musa usually collected expensive phones from Ogbonna to sell at giveaway prices, rendering short payments for a long period of time.
The Command spokesperson said several items were recovered from Ogbona’s residence, including two power generators, one smart TV, one freezer, four wigs worth N500,000 each, one gas cylinder, shoes, canvas, bags, clothes, and house furniture.
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