Airport police nab alleged romance scammer linked to N1bn fraud

By Dickson Omobola

Nigeria Police Force, Airport Police Command, has arrested a celebrity scam and romance fraud suspect responsible for defrauding multiple victims in the United States of over N1 billion naira.

The suspect, Essien Akpama, male, aged 20, was arrested on January 5, 2026, by operatives of the Anti-Fraud Unit of the command while attempting to board a flight out of Lagos State.

A statement released Tuesday by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Airport Police Command, ASP Mohammed Adeola, said his arrest followed months of intensive intelligence-led surveillance and monitoring based on credible information.

The statement reads: “Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect, who previously resided in Calabar, Cross River State, relocated to Lagos State on 23rd February, 2024, from where he coordinated and executed several fraudulent schemes. In one instance in 2024, the suspect, through a celebrity scam modus operandi, deceived a 47-year-old female victim in the United States into transferring one million US dollars under the pretext of purchasing property in Florida for an orphanage. The funds were fraudulently solicited through a cryptocurrency scheme identified as ‘BullRun 2.0,’ formerly known as ‘4 Way Mirror Money.’

“Further investigations revealed that the suspect also defrauded another 70-year-old female victim in the United States of a total sum of N25,709,400 (Twenty-Five Million, Seven Hundred and Nine Thousand, Four Hundred Naira), equivalent to $18,000 (Eighteen Thousand US Dollars). The fraud was perpetrated through the purchase of gift cards, high-end mobile devices, and computer equipment, which were shipped to Nigeria at the suspect’s direction.

“Items recently recovered in connection with the case include one MacBook Pro 14-inch, one iPhone 17 Pro Max, two Google Pixel 10 Pro XL devices, and one Google Pixel 10 Pro, collectively valued at N8,141,367. Investigations further revealed that the suspect posed as a 60-year-old orthopedic surgeon working with the United Nations in Nigeria, claiming the devices were required to maintain secure communication with the victim.

“The case has been transferred to the Nigeria Police Force Special Fraud Unit, NPF-SFU, for further investigations, and the suspect will be arraigned in court upon the conclusion of investigations.”

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