The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) has dismantled online investment fraud, romance scam and money laundering networks that allegedly defrauded victims abroad of over $2 million, arresting eight suspects in coordinated operations.
Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of the NPF-NCCC, Akaniyene Ezima, disclosed this while briefing journalists in Abuja on the arrests linked to digital and online cyber fraud.
In the first case, intelligence from the United Kingdom National Crime Agency (NCA) pointed to a transnational criminal network running fraudulent investment schemes from Delta State, targeting victims in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and other countries.
Operatives traced the activities to Agbor and Okpanam, arresting four suspects in October 2026: Ojei Divine, Godwin Umerin, Edema Bright and Peter Kpamichukwu Okoh.
Investigations showed the suspects used synthetic identities on social media and messaging platforms.
Ojei Divine allegedly impersonated professional investment traders via Facebook accounts (including one under the name Mariana Coman) and directed victims to fraudulent websites such as www.andescapitalgrouplc.com, www.navidargroupllc.com and www.stockbase.com.
These platforms posed as forex, cryptocurrency and oil & gas investment sites where victims deposited funds into wallets controlled by the syndicate.
Crypto analysis of one wallet revealed 21 transactions totalling $21,150; assets worth $15,900 were recovered and secured in a custodial wallet.
Godwin Umerin admitted using multiple Facebook accounts to defraud an Indonesian citizen of 7,000,000 Indonesian Rupiah via a money mule.
Edema Bright, a 300-level student at Delta State University, allegedly engaged in sextortion and cryptocurrency fraud targeting victims in Australia, the UK, US, Canada and elsewhere.
He posted online hookup ads, used a US-registered WhatsApp number, and impersonated Galaxy Digital CEO Michael Novogratz on Clubhouse while promoting Bitcoin investments.
Peter Kpamichukwu Okoh, a 27-year-old website developer who runs the unregistered 360 Web Tech, allegedly built six websites for healthcare, investment and online banking services designed to give administrators full control over deposits and withdrawals; these were used by scammers.
Exhibits recovered included 36 mobile devices and three routers, which are undergoing forensic examination.
The suspects will be arraigned after investigations are completed.In a second intelligence-led operation with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and Germany’s Bundeskriminalamt (BKA), police targeted a romance fraud network that preyed on elderly Canadian residents between 2020 and 2024.
Suspects used fictitious identities to build romantic relationships and solicit funds under pretences such as business investments or loans.
One victim was tricked into transferring over CA$200,000 after being shown a fake bank website displaying a large balance under the name of a supposed US military physician, William Barabash.
The funds were linked to Uka Chidiebere Gerald, 32, who, with his wife Evelyn Ayabare’s consent, used her details to open a Binance wallet through which USDT 1,684,441 was laundered.
Another victim transferred CA$214,000 in cryptocurrency and CA$3,000 by wire; the digital assets were traced to Kenneth Ufuophu, 30, and laundered through money mules in the UK, Canada, US, Nigeria, Turkey and Kenya.
Documented losses for two of five identified victims exceeded CA$417,000. Operatives arrested Uka Chidiebere Gerald and Kenneth Ufuophu in Delta State.
Two mobile devices and two laptops were recovered for forensic analysis. Efforts continue to identify other network members and recover proceeds.
In a third case, acting on UK NCA intelligence about cyber threat actors involved in computer-related fraud, online impersonation and fraudulent investment schemes, NPF-NCCC operatives arrested three suspects in Lekki, Lagos State, on 14 October 2026: Adebayo Adewale Basit, Omoregie Christian and Adebayo Ibrahim.
Adebayo Adewale Basit, 23, allegedly used AI voice cloning and deepfakes to impersonate Tesla CEO Elon Musk via multiple email, Facebook, WhatsApp, Zangi, Telegram and X accounts, targeting victims especially in the US and UK.
The group also promoted a fraudulent cryptocurrency platform, Bitcoin Trading Hub (bitcointradinghub.org).Recovered items included five iPhones, one Samsung Galaxy phone, one iPad, one Microsoft Surface Pro, three internet routers, a webcam, a PlayStation 5 console, gold-plated necklaces, wristwatches and other items.
The digital devices are undergoing forensic examination. The three suspects remain in custody as investigations continue.
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