Police Arrest Cook for Stealing $35,000 from Her Foreign Employer, Setting His House on Fire

Gombe State Police Command has arrested a 28-year-old woman, Hannatu Ibrahim, for allegedly stealing $35,000 (approximately N53.5 million) from her Syrian employer, Mohammed Jurdi, before setting his house ablaze in the New GRA area of Gombe.

Police spokesperson DSP Buhari Abdullahi confirmed the arrest in a statement on Wednesday, March 26, 2025. Two other suspects, Ahmed Adamu, 20, and Abubakar Ibrahim, 28, were also taken into custody in connection with the crime.

According to Abdullahi, Ibrahim, who worked as a cook for Jurdi, was caught by a police patrol team with $7,100 of the stolen money. The police received a distress call on March 22 at around 8:00 p.m. reporting that Jurdi’s house had been set on fire after the theft.

Following swift action by officers from the Gombe Division, Ibrahim was arrested. During interrogation, she revealed that Adamu, the second suspect, was the first person she contacted after the theft and that he had taken two $100 bills. A search of Adamu’s wallet led to the recovery of one of the bills. The third suspect, Abubakar Ibrahim, who worked as a security guard for Jurdi, was also implicated and arrested.

Police recovered a total of $7,100 from Ibrahim and $100 from Adamu. Authorities stated that the case will be charged to court once investigations are complete.