The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrimes Centre (NPF-NCCC) has arrested seven suspects in connection with alleged money laundering, business email compromise, sextortion, blackmail, romance scams and other internet-related offences. According to a report by The Cable, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of the centre, Akaninyene Ezima, disclosed the……
The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrimes Centre (NPF-NCCC) has arrested seven suspects in connection with alleged money laundering, business email compromise, sextortion, blackmail, romance scams and other internet-related offences.
According to a report by The Cable, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of the centre, Akaninyene Ezima, disclosed the arrests on Wednesday at a news conference in Abuja.
Ezima said one of the suspects was arrested after the German Federal Police, Bundeskriminalamt (BKA), requested the preservation of data linked to an internet protocol address allegedly used in a sophisticated business email compromise operation.
He said the investigation, codenamed “Operation Broken Mask”, was carried out in collaboration with the BKA and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police under the Budapest Convention 24/7 Network.
According to him, the suspect was arrested on July 20 at his residence in Megamound Estate, Lekki, Lagos, after investigations allegedly linked him to the scheme.
Ezima said forensic analysis of devices recovered from the suspect’s residence uncovered more than 12.5 million email logs belonging to victims across over 50 countries.
He added that the suspect’s bank verification number was linked to accounts with six financial institutions and fintech platforms, while a Mercedes-Benz AMG GLC 43 allegedly acquired with proceeds of crime was also recovered.
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The police chief alleged that the suspect used phishing kits sourced through Telegram to compromise Microsoft 365 credentials belonging to employees of targeted companies.
He said the suspect allegedly made more than N100 million from the operation.
“The suspect’s bank verification number was linked to accounts maintained with six financial institutions and fintech platforms, including Guaranty Trust Bank, Zenith Bank, FairMoney, Carbon, OPay and PalmPay,” he said.
The AIG also disclosed the arrest of a technology company owner over alleged international cyber-enabled investment fraud and money laundering.
He said the suspect was arrested following a petition submitted by Ugwu Francisca & Co. on behalf of Elizabeth and Prince Iruaregbon.
According to Ezima, the petition alleged that the complainants lost N56.3 million after being persuaded to invest in a WhatsApp-based stock trading platform that promised substantial returns.
He said investigations traced the funds to accounts operated by entities allegedly connected to the syndicate, adding that the suspect’s technology company was allegedly used to convert proceeds from the fraud.
Ezima said an examination of the company’s account with Save Heaven Microfinance Bank revealed terminal cash-out inflows and outflows amounting to N3.2 billion between October 30, 2025, and May 31, 2026.
He added that investigators discovered that approximately N3.6 billion in suspected proceeds of crime had been converted to Tether (USDT) stablecoins through Bybit peer-to-peer transactions.
The suspect, he said, was arrested on August 13 in Agiliti, Lagos, and allegedly admitted to owning Kestart Technology and conducting peer-to-peer cryptocurrency transactions on Bybit.
Ezima further disclosed that two suspects were arrested in Anambra State over alleged conspiracy, identity theft, impersonation and computer-related fraud.
He said the investigation followed a complaint by Faruk Yabo, Permanent Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, who alleged that an individual had been impersonating him on WhatsApp and Facebook.
According to the AIG, the suspects were arrested on August 4 following technical intelligence and other investigative activities.
He said police recovered 24 registered and 33 unregistered MTN SIM cards, 26 registered and 18 unregistered Airtel SIM cards, as well as an MTN toolkit.
Ezima said one of the suspects admitted to buying and selling registered and unregistered SIM cards and creating a social media account using the identity of a United Kingdom citizen, which was allegedly used to defraud victims in India.
