*AIG Akaninyene Ezima, at a press briefing on Wednesday, August 26, 2026.
The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) has arrested six suspects in separate investigations involving business email compromise, investment fraud, money laundering, identity theft, sextortion, land document theft and impersonation.
The Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) in charge of the NPF-NCCC, Akaninyene Ezima, disclosed this on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, at a press briefing at the Centre’s headquarters.
Ezima said the arrests formed part of the Centre’s efforts to disrupt cybercrime networks and technology-enabled criminal activities in Nigeria and beyond.
He said the operations had also led to the recovery of digital devices, SIM cards, a Mercedes-Benz AMG GLC 43 and other exhibits, while investigations were ongoing into the movement of suspected criminal proceeds.
₦100m Business Email Compromise
According to the AIG, one of the major operations, codenamed Operation Broken Mask, targeted a sophisticated Business Email Compromise (BEC) syndicate allegedly operated by David Adeyemi Temitope.
He said the investigation began after the Centre received an international preservation request on February 17, 2026, relating to an IP address linked to a BEC operation.
Temitope was arrested at his residence in Megamound Estate, Lekki, Lagos, on July 20, following authorization of the operation by the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu.
Ezima said forensic examination of devices recovered from the suspect produced more than 12.5 million victim email logs, involving victims in over 50 countries, including the United States, Canada, Germany, India, France and the Netherlands.
The suspect’s Bank Verification Number was also linked to accounts with six financial institutions and fintech platforms, including GTBank, Zenith Bank, FairMoney, Carbon, OPay and PalmPay.
The police also recovered a Mercedes-Benz AMG GLC 43 allegedly acquired with proceeds of crime.
The investigation, Ezima said, established that the suspect obtained phishing kits from a Telegram vendor and used them to compromise Microsoft 365 credentials belonging to employees of targeted companies.
He allegedly made more than ₦100 million from the scheme.
The police said a prima facie case of computer-related fraud, Business Email Compromise and identity theft had been established against him and that he would be arraigned before the Federal High Court after the court’s vacation.
Police Trace ₦3.6bn Through Cryptocurrency
In another major investigation, the NPF-NCCC arrested Kelechi Sistus Ihekaire, sole proprietor of Kestart Technology, over an alleged international cyber-enabled investment fraud and money laundering syndicate.
Ezima said the investigation followed a petition alleging that victims were defrauded of ₦56.29 million through a WhatsApp-based stock trading platform that promised high returns.
The victims transferred the money between March 25 and April 22, 2026, but were unable to withdraw their funds.
The police traced the money through several entities, including JPM Enterprise Trading, Ahmad Digital Business and JPM Pro Online Venture.
Further investigation, Ezima said, revealed that Kestart Technology allegedly served as a terminal off-ramp for proceeds linked to the syndicate.
A reconstruction of the company’s account with Save Heaven Microfinance Bank showed terminal cash-out inflows and outflows totalling approximately ₦3.62 billion between October 30, 2025, and May 31, 2026.
The police said about ₦3.62 billion in suspected proceeds of crime was subsequently converted into Tether (USDT) stablecoins through Bybit peer-to-peer transactions, making the funds more difficult to trace and recover.
Ihekaire was arrested on August 13, 2026, in Agiliti, Lagos.
The police said he admitted ownership of Kestart Technology and involvement in peer-to-peer cryptocurrency trading on Bybit.
He is expected to face charges under the Money Laundering Act, Cybercrimes Act and Advance Fee Fraud Act, while the NPF-NCCC said it would pursue the final forfeiture of funds under lien and associated cryptocurrency assets, where legally applicable, to facilitate victim restitution.
Two Arrested Over Identity Theft, SIM Card Trading
The NPF-NCCC also arrested two men in Anambra State over alleged conspiracy, identity theft, impersonation and computer-related fraud.
The suspects, identified as 28-year-old Emeka Egba Anthony and 29-year-old Ogboji Solomon Emeka, were arrested on August 4 following an investigation into the alleged impersonation of a senior civil servant on WhatsApp and Facebook.
According to Ezima, operatives recovered 24 registered and 33 unregistered MTN SIM cards, 26 registered and 18 unregistered Airtel SIM cards, and an MTN toolkit from Anthony.
The suspect allegedly admitted buying and selling registered and unregistered SIM cards and creating a social media account using the identity of a purported British citizen to defraud people in India.
The second suspect allegedly admitted dealing in pre-registered SIM cards sourced from a supplier in Kano.
The police said both suspects would be prosecuted over the alleged offences.
Romance Scam Suspect Arrested in Kano
Ezima also disclosed the arrest of Abdulwajeed Abdullahi, who allegedly operated an online romance scam and sextortion scheme under the pseudonym “Captain Junaid.”
The suspect was arrested at his residence in Kano on August 4 following a petition from a female victim who alleged that he had obtained intimate photographs and videos from her and subsequently demanded $3,000, threatening to release the materials if she failed to pay.
Investigators allegedly identified additional victims, including one who lost ₦3.5 million and another woman from Bauchi State who allegedly paid the suspect $1,500 under a purported foreign exchange trading arrangement.
Forensic examination of devices recovered from Abdullahi allegedly revealed intimate photographs and videos belonging to multiple women, as well as forged academic certificates and identity cards bearing his photograph but different names.
The police said Abdullahi confessed to commencing romance scam activities in January 2026 and admitted using photographs and publicly available materials belonging to a Saudi pilot to create the fake “Captain Junaid” identity.
Man Arrested Over Alleged Theft of Land Documents
The NPF-NCCC also arrested a 40-year-old man, Paulsurplus Yohanna, from Paikoro Local Government Area of Niger State, over the alleged theft and attempted sale of land documents belonging to his former employer, a foreign national resident in Abuja.
Yohanna was arrested on August 13, 2026, after intelligence allegedly linked him to the documents.
Ezima said preliminary investigation showed that the suspect was disengaged from his employment in January 2026 and allegedly sold one of his former employer’s properties in the Kagini area of Abuja after his dismissal.
The police further alleged that he duplicated the key to his former employer’s office, forged land documents and sold a Toyota RAV4 belonging to the employer for ₦25 million.
Investigators are working to recover proceeds from the alleged transactions and identify other properties and documents allegedly taken by the suspect.
Suspect Impersonates CP, Extorts ₦17m
The police also arrested Babatunde Olamilekan Idowu, popularly known as “CSP Bamiseye,” for allegedly impersonating a serving Commissioner of Police attached to the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Abuja.
According to Ezima, a man identified as Abass Musibau Ajisafe contacted the suspect while seeking to lodge a petition against another individual.
The suspect allegedly contacted the target and, alongside other members of his syndicate who are still at large, claimed to be a senior police officer.
The other members allegedly impersonated the Inspector-General of Police and the Attorney-General of the Federation during the operation.
The victim was allegedly defrauded of ₦17 million.
Idowu was subsequently arrested in Ekiti State and reportedly confessed to the crime.
Ezima said the suspect had a history of police impersonation and was allegedly known as “Ebora SARS” in the Ikorodu area of Lagos.
The AIG warned criminals impersonating senior police officers that they would eventually be apprehended.
He also urged members of the public to verify the identity of anyone contacting them by telephone and claiming to be a police officer.
Police Warn Cybercriminals, Public
The AIG said the investigations demonstrated the growing technical capabilities of the NPF-NCCC in digital forensics, open-source intelligence, network analysis, financial investigation and cryptocurrency tracing.
He also stressed the importance of international cooperation, noting that the Business Email Compromise investigation involved collaboration with foreign police agencies through the Budapest Convention’s 24/7 Network.
Ezima warned cybercriminals that the use of encrypted platforms, cryptocurrency and false identities would not shield them from arrest.
He advised members of the public to be cautious of unsolicited romantic approaches online, unrealistic investment opportunities and requests for sensitive personal information.
He urged Nigerians to avoid sharing passwords, banking details, BVNs, intimate photographs and other personal information with unverified individuals, while also warning them to scrutinise links and online platforms before accessing them.
The AIG said the NPF-NCCC would continue to work with government agencies, financial institutions, technology companies and international law enforcement partners to trace criminal proceeds, dismantle cybercrime networks and protect Nigerians from emerging digital threats.