Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force have apprehended a 20-year-old man at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos for his alleged involvement in a sophisticated romance fraud scheme valued at over one billion naira.
Intelligence-Led Arrest at the Airport
The suspect, identified as Essien Emmanuel Akpama, was taken into custody on January 5, 2026, by the Anti-Fraud Unit of the Airport Police Command. He was arrested while attempting to board an international flight out of Nigeria.
According to the Police Public Relations Officer for the Airport Command, ASP Mohammed Adeola, the arrest was the culmination of months of intensive, intelligence-led surveillance. The operation was initiated based on credible information received by the command.
Modus Operandi: Celebrity Impersonation and Crypto Schemes
Preliminary investigations uncovered that Akpama, who relocated to Lagos from Calabar, Cross River State, in February 2024, coordinated multiple fraudulent schemes from his base.
In one elaborate instance in 2024, Akpama employed a celebrity scam tactic. He deceived a 47-year-old woman in the United States into transferring one million US dollars. The suspect convinced the victim that the funds were for purchasing property in Florida for an orphanage. The transaction was facilitated through a fraudulent cryptocurrency scheme known as “BullRun 2.0,” which was formerly called “4 Way Mirror Money.”
Investigations further revealed that Akpama defrauded another victim, a 70-year-old American woman, of N25,709,400 (approximately $18,000). This fraud was executed through the purchase of gift cards, high-end mobile devices, and computer equipment, which were subsequently shipped to Nigeria at Akpama's direction.
Public Reaction and Wider Context of Romance Scams
The news of the arrest sparked significant reactions on social media, with many Nigerians expressing shock that an individual so young could be involved in fraud of such magnitude. The case highlights the ongoing global threat of romance scams originating from Nigeria.
This arrest follows other high-profile cases involving Nigerian nationals in romance fraud. Notably, Adetomiwa Akindele was sentenced to nearly six years in a US prison for a $1.6 million romance scam and faces deportation. In a separate case, Franklin Ikechukwu Nwadialo, a local government chairman, was arrested in Houston, USA, for allegedly orchestrating a $3.3 million scam targeting individuals on dating sites.
The Nigeria Police Force has reiterated its commitment to collaborating with international agencies to track down and prosecute individuals involved in cyber-enabled financial crimes, particularly those preying on vulnerable victims abroad.
