Seven suspects have been apprehended by the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrimes Centre (NPF-NCCC) for alleged involvement in money laundering, business email compromise, sextortion, blackmail, romance scams, and related internet offences.
Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) Akaninyene Ezima, who heads the centre, disclosed the details during a media briefing in Abuja.
Ezima explained that one suspect was tracked down after the German Federal Police (Bundeskriminalamt or BKA) requested data preservation for an IP address linked to a high-level business email compromise. The joint investigation, tagged “Operation Broken Mask,” was executed alongside the BKA and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police under the Budapest Convention 24/7 Network.
The suspect was arrested on July 20 at his residence in Megamound Estate, Lekki, Lagos. Digital evidence retrieved from his devices contained over 12.5 million email logs from victims spread across more than 50 nations. He allegedly utilized Telegram-sourced phishing tools to compromise Microsoft 365 login credentials of targeted corporate personnel, generating over N100 million from the scheme. Investigators also impounded a Mercedes-Benz AMG GLC 43 linked to the illicit funds.
“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,” Ezima said.
In another operation, the centre arrested the owner of a tech firm following a petition by Ugwu Francisca & Co. on behalf of Elizabeth and Prince Iruaregbon. The complainants reported losing N56.3 million to a fraudulent WhatsApp investment group promising high stock returns.
Investigators established that the tech company was used to process the illicit money. An audit of its account with Save Heaven Microfinance Bank revealed N3.2 billion in terminal cash flows between October 30, 2025, and May 31, 2026. Furthermore, officers discovered that roughly N3.6 billion in crime proceeds had been swapped into Tether (USDT) stablecoins via Bybit peer-to-peer trades. The business owner was arrested on August 13 in Agiliti, Lagos, and reportedly confessed to managing Kestart Technology and conducting crypto P2P transactions.
Additionally, two individuals were detained in Anambra on August 4 following a complaint from Faruk Yabo, Permanent Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, regarding impersonation on WhatsApp and Facebook.
Police retrieved tens of registered and unregistered SIM cards from MTN and Airtel, along with an MTN toolkit. One suspect confessed to trading SIM cards and assuming the identity of a UK citizen to defraud victims in India.
