By
Gloria Josiah
ABUJA — The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre has arrested 23 suspects in coordinated operations across the country targeting cyber fraud, identity theft, cryptocurrency scams, disinformation and organised criminal networks.
The operations, carried out with local and international partners, led to the busting of foreign-focused fraud syndicates, Telegram-based crime rings, fake investment schemes and a large-scale fraud that allegedly cost MTN Nigeria about ₦7.7 billion.
Delta Syndicate Linked to Overseas Fraud Uncovered
Acting on intelligence from the National Crime Agency at the British High Commission in Abuja, NPF-NCCC operatives tracked and raided a suspected international cyber fraud group operating from Asaba, Delta State.
A court-approved raid on July 4, 2026 led to the arrest of Roland Stephen, Oligoron Francis Brakemi, Obasi Obinna Benjamin, Obasi Chris Chibueze, Ogbuzuru Destiny and Osakwe Chidima.
Items recovered include a Mercedes-Benz GLK SUV, 11 phones, a laptop, a tablet, a wristwatch and a Starlink internet system.
Forensic checks so far point to online impersonation and other cyber fraud schemes aimed at victims abroad. Investigations are still ongoing.
Operation Seraphim Hits Telegram Identity Theft Network
In a joint operation with the City of London Police tagged Operation Seraphim, the centre dismantled part of an international network involved in identity theft, crypto fraud and trading of stolen personal data on Telegram.
The probe focused on 24 suspects active across 434 Telegram groups. Four people — Daniel Andrew Sopuruchi, Josephine Lawal, Emmanuel Ifeanyi Ike and David Emeka Chimuanya — were arrested in Lagos. The alleged mastermind, David Augustine, a Nigerian-Ghanaian national, is still at large.
Recovered materials include driver’s licences, ID cards, credit card details, bank login credentials and digital records tied to cryptocurrency transactions, PayPal fraud, romance scams and Telegram-based crime.
Three Arrested Over Fake NGX Investment Platform
The centre also arrested Thomas Daniel, Zhu Tian Yu and Qu Yuan Bin over an alleged fraudulent investment platform falsely claiming affiliation with the Nigerian Exchange Group and endorsement by economist Yemi Kale.
Victims were lured through a WhatsApp group named “Stock Risk Control Center” and convinced to invest. Police said about ₦29.81 million was collected before being converted to USDT and moved to wallets linked to the suspects. The alleged ringleader, identified only as Nandi, remains on the run.
Exhibits recovered include phones, laptops, Telegram chats, crypto wallet records, Kuda Bank statements and audio files.
Man Arrested Over Doctored Tinubu Video
In Delta State, operatives arrested Ifechukwu David Ugwa for allegedly circulating a manipulated video involving social media commentator Martins Vincent Otse, aka VeryDarkMan, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Police said the clip combined real footage of VeryDarkMan with fake audio attributed to the President, suggesting he was deliberately prolonging insecurity for political gain. The video was traced to the suspect’s TikTok page, RATEL TV, which has about 127,000 followers. Devices and other social media accounts were also recovered. The case has been recommended for prosecution.
Blogger Arrested Over False Boko Haram Claim
Stephen Omoregie was arrested in Benin City, Edo State, for allegedly posting a false claim on Facebook that nearly 1,000 Boko Haram fighters had been deployed to Abuja.
The video on his page, OKUTA NA EDO, reportedly got 11 million views and over 13,000 shares. Investigators said the claim was untrue and could incite public panic. The suspect admitted posting it without verification. Prosecution has been recommended.
Six Arrested in ₦7.7bn MTN Data Fraud
The centre also uncovered a sophisticated scheme that allegedly defrauded MTN Nigeria of about ₦7.7 billion. Six suspects — Ahmad Bala, Karibu Mohammed Shehu, Umar Habib, Obinna Ananaba, Ibrahim Shehu and Masa’ud Sa’ad — were arrested in Kano, Katsina and Abuja. Several others, including Musa Muhammed Kwandi and Abubakar Salihu, are still wanted.
Police recovered over 400 laptops, more than 1,000 phones, 3 POS terminals, a Toyota RAV4, $9,800, ₦100,000 and financial documents.
Investigators said the group allegedly used stolen MTN staff logins to access the company’s billing system, generate fake airtime, convert it to data bundles and sell the data across 2,016 prepaid lines via WhatsApp and other trading platforms.
MTN has reportedly reversed 2,931.79 terabytes of stolen data valued at about ₦3.8 billion. The hunt for other suspects continues.
