Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, Airport Command, have made a significant arrest in connection with a massive international fraud scheme. A 20-year-old man, Essien Emmanuel Akpama, was apprehended at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos while allegedly trying to flee the country.
Intelligence-Led Arrest at MMIA
The arrest, which took place on January 5, 2026, was the culmination of months of intelligence-driven surveillance. According to the Police Public Relations Officer for the Airport Command, Mohammed Adeola, the suspect was linked to transnational online fraud and was attempting to board an international flight to evade arrest.
Adeola stated that Akpama had previously lived in Calabar, Cross River State, before moving to Lagos on February 23, 2024. From his base in Lagos, he is alleged to have coordinated several fraudulent operations targeting victims in the United States, with the total scam estimated at over ₦1 billion.
Modus Operandi and Victims
The police detailed the sophisticated methods used by the suspect. In one prominent case under investigation, a 47-year-old American woman was defrauded of $1 million. The suspect allegedly convinced her to provide the funds for the purchase of property in Florida, purportedly for an orphanage.
The funds were solicited through a cryptocurrency scheme known as “BullRun 2.0,” which was formerly called “4 Way Mirror Money.” In another instance, a 70-year-old female victim in the US was defrauded of ₦25.7 million (about $18,000). This was done through the purchase of gift cards, high-end mobile phones, and computer equipment, which were then shipped to Nigeria at Akpama's direction.
To gain the trust of his victims, Akpama allegedly posed as a 60-year-old orthopedic surgeon attached to the United Nations (UN) in Nigeria. He claimed the expensive electronic devices recovered from him were necessary for secure communication with those he targeted.
Recovered Items and Police Commitment
Items recovered by the police in connection with the case include:
- A MacBook Pro 14-inch
- An iPhone 17 Pro Max
- Two Google Pixel 10 Pro XL phones
- One Google Pixel 10 Pro
The total value of these recovered devices is over ₦8.1 million.
The Commissioner of Police for the Airport Command, Olufunke Ogunbode, was quoted in the statement, sending a strong warning to criminals. She declared that the command would not allow Nigerian airports to be used as escape routes by suspects. Ogunbode reiterated the command's commitment to intelligence-led operations aimed at curbing transnational crimes and protecting the integrity of Nigeria's aviation environment.
The case has now been transferred to the Nigeria Police Force Special Fraud Unit (NPF-SFU) for a more comprehensive investigation. The suspect is expected to be arraigned in court upon the conclusion of the probe.
