The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) has dismantled suspected cybercrime networks involved in online investment fraud, romance scams, identity impersonation and money laundering, with investigations linking the syndicates to more than $2 million in fraudulent activities targeting victims across several countries.
Akaniyene Ezima, Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of the NPF-NCCC, disclosed this in Abuja while briefing journalists on the arrest of suspects allegedly involved in transnational cyber fraud.
Ezima said the investigations, conducted in collaboration with international law enforcement agencies, led to arrests in Delta and Lagos states following intelligence shared by the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office, known as the Bundeskriminalamt (BKA).
The investigations uncovered alleged schemes in which suspects used fictitious identities, fraudulent investment websites, cryptocurrency wallets, deceptive romantic relationships and artificial intelligence tools to defraud unsuspecting victims in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and other jurisdictions.
The police said the operations also exposed the alleged use of money mules, digital wallets and multiple financial channels to move proceeds of crime across borders.
According to Ezima, the operations involved three separate investigations, resulting in the arrest of nine suspects. Recovered electronic devices and other exhibits are undergoing forensic examination as investigators seek to establish the full extent of the alleged offences, identify additional victims and trace the proceeds.
Ezima said the first investigation followed intelligence shared by the NCA through a multinational initiative targeting online fraud networks and scam centres.
The intelligence indicated that social media accounts linked to a suspected transnational criminal network were being operated from locations in Delta State and used to promote fraudulent investment schemes targeting victims in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and other countries.
Acting on the information, NPF-NCCC operatives conducted coordinated investigations and digital forensic analysis, which led them to Agbor and Okpanam in Delta State, where four suspects were arrested in October 2026.
The suspects were identified as Ojei Divine, Godwin Umerin, Edema Bright and Peter Kpamichukwu Okoh.
Preliminary investigations indicated that the suspects allegedly used fabricated identities across social media and messaging platforms to gain the confidence of prospective victims and persuade them to invest in fraudulent schemes.
One of the suspects, Ojei Divine, allegedly impersonated professional investment traders through Facebook accounts operating under different identities, including Mariana Coman.
Ezima said Divine created online chat groups and redirected members to websites purporting to offer investment and trading services in foreign exchange, cryptocurrency and oil and gas.
The websites identified by the police included andescapitalgrouplc.com, navidargroupllc.com and stockbase.com.
According to the police, the platforms presented themselves as legitimate investment services but directed victims to deposit funds into wallets allegedly controlled by the suspect and other members of the network.
Investigators said Divine admitted moving proceeds from multiple cryptocurrency wallet addresses associated with victims in different countries.
These included Revolut and Trust Wallet accounts used in connection with European victims and Coinbase accounts associated with victims in the United States.
Cryptocurrency analysis of one wallet allegedly controlled by the suspect revealed 21 approved transaction receipts valued at $21,150, according to Ezima.
The police said cryptocurrency assets worth $15,900 were recovered and secured in a custodial wallet.
Another suspect, Godwin Umerin, allegedly created several Facebook accounts that were used to target victims online.
Ezima said Umerin admitted involvement in a scheme in which an Indonesian citizen was defrauded of seven million Indonesian rupiah through an account provided by a suspected money mule.
The third suspect, Edema Bright, a 300-level student of Delta State University, was allegedly involved in sextortion and cryptocurrency investment fraud targeting victims in Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and other countries.
According to the police, Bright posted online hookup advertisements and communicated with respondents through a WhatsApp account registered with a United States telephone number.
Investigators further alleged that he used Clubhouse, an online platform for live audio conversations, to persuade individuals to invest in Bitcoin by claiming that the cryptocurrency could be purchased at lower prices and sold at higher rates.
Bright also allegedly impersonated Michael Novogratz, the Chief Executive Officer of Galaxy Digital, using photographs obtained from Pinterest as profile pictures to conceal his identity.
The fourth suspect, Peter Kpamichukwu Okoh, 27, was identified as a website developer who operated an unregistered web development business known as 360 Web Tech.
The police said Okoh advertised his services on Instagram and TikTok through accounts bearing the usernames 360_webtech and 360_webtech02.
Preliminary investigations indicated that he developed websites for healthcare services, investment businesses and online banking platforms.
According to Ezima, the banking websites were designed to allow administrators to control their functions, including deposits and withdrawals.
Okoh allegedly admitted developing six websites subsequently used by fraudsters to conduct illegal activities.
The police recovered 36 mobile devices, three internet routers and other exhibits during the operation. The items are undergoing forensic examination at the cybercrime centre.
Ezima said the four suspects would be arraigned before a court of competent jurisdiction after the completion of the necessary investigative and prosecutorial processes.
The second investigation involved collaboration between the NPF-NCCC, the RCMP and Germany’s BKA over a suspected Nigeria-based romance fraud network that allegedly targeted elderly residents of Canada between 2020 and 2024.
Ezima said intelligence received from the Canadian police indicated that members of the network created fictitious identities on social media and messaging platforms to establish romantic relationships with unsuspecting victims.
After gaining their trust, the suspects allegedly requested money under different pretexts, including business investments, financial assistance and loans, often promising to repay the funds.
One of the cases involved a victim who was deceived by a suspect impersonating a United States military physician identified as William Barabash.
According to the police, the suspect provided the victim with login details for a fictitious banking website called CB Reserve Bank, which displayed what appeared to be a substantial bank balance in the name of the impersonated physician.
The police said the fabricated financial information was used to reinforce the victim’s confidence in the suspect before money was solicited.
Between 2020 and 2022, the victim allegedly transferred more than CA$200,000.
Further investigations linked the transactions to Uka Chidiebere Gerald, 32, who allegedly used his wife’s email address and telephone number, with her consent, to open a Binance wallet through which funds were laundered.
Ezima said the wallet was linked to the movement of cryptocurrency valued at USDT 1,684,441.
A second victim was allegedly induced to transfer cryptocurrency worth CA$214,000 and an additional CA$3,000 through a wire transfer.
The digital assets were deposited into two Bitcoin wallet addresses that investigators traced to Kenneth Ufuophu, 30, according to the police.
The investigation also identified suspected money mules and entities allegedly used to move the proceeds across multiple jurisdictions.
These included Tears of Joy Ltd in the United Kingdom, Henryford Services Inc. and other channels linked to Canada, the United States, Nigeria, Turkey and Kenya.
The police said five victims had so far been identified, while the documented financial losses of two victims alone exceeded CA$417,000.
Following digital forensic analysis and coordinated investigations, operatives traced aspects of the transactions to Nigeria and arrested Gerald and Ufuophu in Delta State.
Two mobile devices and two laptops were recovered during the operation and are undergoing forensic examination.
The NPF-NCCC said it was working with its international partners to identify and apprehend other suspected members of the network, trace the movement of illicit funds and facilitate the recovery of criminal proceeds.
The third investigation followed cyber threat intelligence shared by the NCA concerning suspected cybercriminals involved in computer-related fraud, online impersonation, fraudulent investment schemes and wealth management scams targeting victims in different countries.
Ezima said an intelligence-led operation approved by the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, was conducted in Lekki, Lagos State, on October 14, 2026, leading to the arrest of three suspects.
They were identified as Adebayo Adewale Basit, Omoregie Christian and Adebayo Ibrahim.
Preliminary investigations indicated that the suspects allegedly operated fictitious social media accounts to impersonate celebrities and other prominent personalities in order to deceive victims into transferring money.
Basit, 23, allegedly created email accounts bearing the addresses [email protected] and [email protected] and used Facebook, WhatsApp, Zangi, Telegram and X to communicate with victims while impersonating Elon Musk, the chief executive officer of Tesla.
According to Ezima, the suspect allegedly deployed AI-generated voice cloning and deepfake technology to make the impersonation more convincing.
The police said the alleged activities targeted victims in several jurisdictions, particularly the United States and the United Kingdom.
The suspects were also linked to an alleged cryptocurrency investment scheme operated through a platform identified as Bitcoin Trading Hub.
Investigators identified bitcointradinghub.org as the website associated with the operation, alongside the email address [email protected].
Ezima said the suspects confessed to their alleged involvement in the fraudulent activities during investigations.
However, the police said further forensic examination was required to establish the full extent of their activities, identify victims, trace suspected proceeds of crime and determine whether other individuals were involved.
Items recovered during the Lagos operation included five iPhones of different models, a Samsung Galaxy mobile phone, an iPad, a Microsoft Surface Pro tablet, three internet routers and a webcam.
Other recovered items included a PlayStation 5 console with two controllers, a portable uninterruptible power supply, a charging adapter, two MTN SIM cards, three gold-plated necklaces, two wristwatches and two vehicle registration plates.
The police also listed two suspected cannabis crushers, a digital precision scale and rolling papers among the recovered exhibits.
The digital devices are undergoing forensic examination at the NPF-NCCC Cybercrime Laboratory, while the three suspects remain in custody as investigations continue.
The police said the objective was to ensure that all persons found culpable were brought before the law.
Ezima expressed concern over the exploitation of public trust through fraudulent investment schemes, deceptive online relationships, identity impersonation and the movement of illicit funds through financial channels, including cryptocurrency.
He said the cases demonstrated the need for law enforcement agencies to strengthen intelligence gathering, digital forensic investigations and international cooperation to address cybercrime networks that operate across national borders.
According to him, effective responses to emerging cyber threats require more than reactive enforcement, including proactive, intelligence-led policing, advanced digital forensic capabilities and timely intelligence sharing among domestic and international partners.
“Under the leadership of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, the NPF-NCCC will continue to strengthen its investigative and forensic capabilities, deepen strategic partnerships and deploy technology in identifying, disrupting and dismantling criminal networks operating within and beyond Nigeria’s borders,” Ezima said.
The police said investigations into the three cases remained ongoing, with recovered devices undergoing forensic analysis and efforts continuing to identify additional victims, trace suspected criminal proceeds and establish the possible involvement of other accomplices.