The Nigeria Police Force, Airport Police Command, has arrested a 20-year-old suspected international romance and celebrity scammer accused of defrauding several victims in the United States of America of more than N1 billion.
The arrest forms part of ongoing efforts to combat transnational crime and prevent Nigerian airports from being exploited as exit routes by criminal suspects.
The arrest was confirmed in a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer of the Airport Police Command, ASP Mohammed Adeola, dated 6 January 2026.
According to the statement, the suspect, identified as Essien Emmanuel Akpama, was arrested on 5 January 2026 by operatives of the Anti-Fraud Unit of the Airport Police Command while he was allegedly attempting to travel out of Lagos State.
Police authorities disclosed that the arrest followed months of intelligence-driven surveillance initiated after credible information linked the suspect to multiple high-value fraud cases involving foreign victims.
Preliminary investigations revealed that Akpama, who formerly lived in Calabar, Cross River State, relocated to Lagos on 23 February 2024. From there, he allegedly coordinated and carried out several sophisticated online fraud operations.
Investigators said the suspect specialised in romance scams and celebrity impersonation schemes, targeting vulnerable individuals overseas through fabricated online identities and deceptive investment stories.
In one major case recorded in 2024, Akpama allegedly defrauded a 47-year-old female victim in the United States of one million US dollars. Police said the money was obtained under the pretext of purchasing property in Florida, which was falsely presented as a facility to be used as an orphanage.
The transaction was reportedly carried out through a cryptocurrency investment platform known as “BullRun 2.0,” formerly called “4 Way Mirror Money,” which investigators described as a fraudulent platform used to conceal illicit fund transfers.
Further investigations linked the suspect to another case involving a 70-year-old female victim in the United States, who was allegedly defrauded of N25,709,400, equivalent to about 18,000 US dollars.
In that case, the suspect was said to have induced the victim to purchase gift cards, as well as expensive mobile phones and computer equipment, which were subsequently shipped to Nigeria at his instruction.
Police said several items were recovered during the investigation, including a 14-inch MacBook Pro, an iPhone 17 Pro Max, two Google Pixel 10 Pro XL devices, and one Google Pixel 10 Pro.
The total estimated value of the recovered items was put at N8,141,367. Investigators noted that the suspect allegedly persuaded his victim that the devices were required for secure communication, consistent with the professional role he claimed to occupy.
According to the Airport Police Command, Akpama allegedly presented himself online as a 60-year-old orthopaedic surgeon working with the United Nations in Nigeria. This false identity was reportedly used to gain victims’ trust and justify repeated requests for money and high-value electronic devices.
Reacting to the arrest, the Commissioner of Police, Airport Police Command, CP Ogunbode Olufunke, MNIPS, PhD, reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to protecting Nigeria’s aviation environment from criminal abuse.
She stated that the Command remains determined to prevent individuals involved in serious crimes from using airport facilities to evade justice.
CP Ogunbode added that the Airport Police Command would continue to rely on intelligence-led operations to identify, disrupt and dismantle criminal networks operating within and around the nation’s aviation sector.
She noted that the arrest demonstrated the effectiveness of sustained surveillance, inter-agency collaboration and proactive policing in addressing evolving forms of transnational crime, particularly cyber-enabled fraud.
The case has been transferred to the Nigeria Police Force Special Fraud Unit (NPF-SFU) for further investigation. Police authorities said the suspect would be charged to court after the conclusion of investigations, in accordance with due process.
The Nigeria Police Force has again urged members of the public, both within Nigeria and abroad, to remain alert to online fraud and promptly report suspicious activities to law enforcement agencies.
The Force also assured the public of its continued collaboration with international partners to track down, arrest and prosecute individuals involved in cross-border financial crimes.
