The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has recorded significant successes in its ongoing crackdown on cybercrime, dismantling a transnational fraud syndicate, arresting a suspected impostor who posed as a World Bank official, and apprehending two individuals linked to a major Business Email Compromise (BEC) scheme.
The operations, carried out by the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC), highlight the Force’s intensified efforts to tackle financial fraud and safeguard Nigeria’s digital economy under the leadership of the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu.
In one of the high-profile cases, operatives dismantled a cross-border fraud network following intelligence received from a Nairobi-based NGO.
The prime suspect, Agbor Martins Black-Diamond, allegedly impersonated a World Bank official and deceived two Kenyan victims into transferring a total of 250,000 dollars over three years for supposed administrative and registration fees to access donor funding.
Investigations showed that the suspect organised fake symposiums in Nigeria and South Africa to reinforce the scam and later persuaded the victims to obtain a loan using family property to access a non-existent 850,000-dollar empowerment fund in Ghana. He was arrested on March 31, 2026, after financial analysis confirmed multiple inflows from the victims.
Police further discovered that his organisation, Black Diamond African Beauty Restoration Foundation, was not registered in Nigeria.
He subsequently registered another company, United African Continent Limited, in November 2024 in an attempt to legitimise his activities. He is also accused of defrauding local farmers in Kuje Area Council by collecting 50,000 naira each under the guise of empowerment programmes.
In a separate development, the NPF-NCCC arrested a former employee, Chinedu Mbachu, following a petition filed on behalf of a Makurdi-based firm. The suspect allegedly engaged in unauthorised modification of company systems, cybersquatting, and diversion of customer payments into personal accounts. Items recovered from him include a Samsung A6 Plus mobile phone and National Identification Number slips.
Similarly, police arrested two suspects—Ayodele Daramola and Dada Babatunde Oluwatobi—over their alleged involvement in a Business Email Compromise scheme and related financial crimes, including conspiracy, data privacy breaches, and money laundering.
Preliminary findings indicate that between May and December 2025, the duo allegedly siphoned about 85 million naira from a company by exploiting internal systems and diverting funds through a commercial bank account.
Investigators said Dada retained about 17.85 million naira, while approximately 67.15 million naira was transferred to an online account linked to Daramola.
Further investigations revealed that about 61 million naira was allegedly spent on online gambling platforms. Recovered items from the suspects include four million naira in cash, a Lexus ES350 vehicle, a Dell laptop, and an iPhone 13 Pro Max.
The police say investigations are ongoing, with efforts underway to recover the remaining funds and prosecute all those involved.
Reaffirming the Force’s stance, IGP Disu stated that Nigeria will not serve as a safe haven for cybercriminals, adding that law enforcement agencies will continue to pursue offenders exploiting digital platforms and international networks for fraudulent activities.