The police in Niger State have arrested a 23-year-old woman, Sarah Ogbonna, for allegedly stealing mobile phones and cash worth N29 million from a shop where she was a salesgirl at Obasanjo Commercial Complex, Minna.
The suspect, who resides on Okada Road, Minna, allegedly used some of the money to rent and furnish an apartment for her boyfriend, Samuel Bello (now at large) in the Sauka-Kauta area of Minna.
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She also reportedly transferred additional money to him.
According to the state’s police spokesperson, Wasiu Abiodun, the suspect confessed during interrogation that she also participated in a weekly financial contribution of N150,000 with an unidentified online group.
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Miss Ogbonna’s elder sister, Mercy Ogbonna (30), was also arrested.
She reportedly received multiple transfers from her younger sister to help with family issues, including paying rent and purchasing food and other necessities.
Two other individuals were also arrested in connection with the alleged theft, including Ruth Emmanuel (23), a fellow salesgirl who allegedly took part in the stealing before leaving the job, and Nurudeen Musa (32) of Obasanjo Complex, Minna, accused of receiving the stolen goods and selling them at low prices.
Mr Abiodun said the arrests were made on 8 August following a report from the shop owner, a phone dealer at Obasanjo Complex, Minna.
The owner reported that Miss Ogbonna allegedly stole items and phones from his shop, worth over N29 million.
“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.
“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 PPRO said.
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According to the police, 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 Miss Ogbonna to sell at giveaway prices, rendering short payments for a long period of time.
Mr Abiodun said several items were recovered from Miss 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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