Police arrest 20-year-old in Lagos over alleged N1bn international romance scam

The police have arrested a 20-year-old man, Essien Emmanuel Akpama, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, over an alleged international romance scam valued at more than N1 billion.

Mohammed Adeola, spokesperson for the airport police command, said in a statement on Tuesday that Akpama was arrested on Monday, January 5, while attempting to board an outbound flight. The arrest was carried out by operatives of the command’s anti-fraud unit.

Adeola said the operation followed months of intelligence-led surveillance based on credible information linking the suspect to online fraud targeting foreign victims.

According to the police, Akpama is accused of defrauding several victims in the United States through romance and celebrity impersonation schemes, with total losses exceeding one million dollars.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspect, who previously lived in Calabar, Cross River State, relocated to Lagos on February 23, 2024. From Lagos, investigators said, he coordinated and executed multiple fraudulent transactions.

In one case in 2024, police alleged that Akpama deceived a 47-year-old woman in the United States into transferring one million dollars under the pretext of purchasing property in Florida for an orphanage. The funds were reportedly obtained through a cryptocurrency platform known as “BullRun 2.0,” formerly called “4 Way Mirror Money.”

Adeola said the suspect posed as a 60-year-old orthopaedic surgeon working with the United Nations in Nigeria, claiming that specialised communication devices were required to maintain secure contact with the victim.

In another case, Akpama allegedly defrauded a 70-year-old woman in the United States of N25,709,400, equivalent to about $18,000. The money was said to have been used to purchase gift cards, high-end mobile phones, and computer equipment, which were shipped to Nigeria at his instruction.

Items recovered from the suspect include a 14-inch MacBook Pro, an iPhone 17 Pro Max, two Google Pixel 10 Pro XL devices, and one Google Pixel 10 Pro. Police estimated the total value of the items at N8,141,367.

Adeola said the case has been transferred to the Nigeria Police Force Special Fraud Unit for further investigation. He added that the suspect will be arraigned in court once investigations are completed.