The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrimes Centre (NPF-NCCC) has arrested seven suspects over alleged involvement in money laundering, business email compromise, sextortion, blackmail, romance scams and other internet-related offences.
The Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) in charge of the centre, Akaninyene Ezima, disclosed this on Wednesday during a press conference in Abuja.
Ezima said one of the suspects was arrested following a request from the German Federal Police, Bundeskriminalamt (BKA), to preserve data linked to an internet protocol (IP) address allegedly used in a sophisticated business email compromise operation.
He said the investigation, code-named “Operation Broken Mask,” was conducted in collaboration with the BKA and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) 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 extensive investigations linked him to the alleged cybercrime operation.
A forensic examination of devices recovered from the residence reportedly uncovered more than 12.5 million email logs belonging to victims across more than 50 countries.
The police said the suspect’s Bank Verification Number (BVN) was linked to accounts with six financial institutions and fintech platforms, including Guaranty Trust Bank, Zenith Bank, FairMoney, Carbon, OPay and PalmPay.
A Mercedes-Benz AMG GLC 43, allegedly purchased with proceeds from the criminal activities, was also recovered.
Ezima said the suspect allegedly used phishing kits obtained through Telegram to compromise the Microsoft 365 credentials of employees of targeted companies.
The suspect is alleged to have made more than N100 million from the operation.
Technology Company Owner Arrested
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 lured into investing in a WhatsApp-based stock trading platform that promised high returns.
Investigators allegedly traced the funds to accounts operated by entities linked to the suspected syndicate.
Ezima said the suspect’s technology company allegedly served as a channel for converting proceeds from the fraud.
He added that 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.
Investigators also allegedly discovered that about N3.6 billion in suspected proceeds of crime was converted to Tether (USDT) stablecoins through Bybit peer-to-peer transactions.
The suspect was arrested on August 13 in Agiliti, Lagos, and allegedly admitted to owning Kestart Technology and engaging in peer-to-peer cryptocurrency trading on Bybit.
Two Arrested Over Identity Theft in Anambra
Ezima further disclosed that two suspects were arrested in Anambra State over alleged conspiracy, identity theft, impersonation and computer-related fraud.
The investigation followed a complaint by Faruk Yabo, Permanent Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, who alleged that an individual was impersonating him on WhatsApp and Facebook.
The suspects were arrested on August 4 following technical intelligence and other investigative activities.
Police reportedly 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.
The suspect also allegedly admitted to creating a social media account using the identity of a United Kingdom citizen, which was reportedly used to defraud individuals in India.
The police said investigations into the cases are ongoing, while further legal action is expected to follow the conclusion of the investigations.
