₦airaland Forum

Welcome, Guest: RegisterLoginWith GoogleTrendingRecentNew

Stats: 3,326,661 members, 8,427,494 topics. Date: Tuesday, 16 June 2026 at 02:58 AM

Toggle theme

Police Arrest Romance Scam Suspect Involved In ₦1 Billion Fraud At Lagos Airport - Crime - Nairaland

Nairaland ForumNairaland GeneralCrimePolice Arrest Romance Scam Suspect Involved In ₦1 Billion Fraud At Lagos Airport (15719 Views)

1 2 Reply (Go Down)

Police Arrest Romance Scam Suspect Involved In ₦1 Billion Fraud At Lagos Airport by TruthHurts1(op): 8:16am On Jan 07
The Airport Police Command in Lagos has arrested a 20-year-old suspect involved in a romance and celebrity fraud that allegedly defrauded victims in the United States of over N1 billion.

The disclosure was contained in a statement issued by ASP Mohammed Adeola, Police Public Relations Officer, Airport Police Command, Lagos, on Tuesday, 6th January 2026.

The suspect, identified as Essien Emmanuel Akpama, was apprehended while attempting to board a flight out of Lagos State.


What the Police is saying

According to the statement, the arrest followed months of intelligence-led surveillance and monitoring based on credible information.

Preliminary investigations revealed that Akpama, who previously resided in Calabar, relocated to Lagos on 23rd February 2024, from where he allegedly coordinated and executed several fraudulent schemes.

“The Nigeria Police Force, Airport Police Command, in its sustained efforts to combat transnational crimes and prevent the use of Nigerian airports as escape routes for criminal elements, has arrested a notorious celebrity scam and romance fraud suspect responsible for defrauding multiple victims in the United States of America of over N1,000,000,000 (one billion naira), which on conversion amounts to over one million United States dollars.

“The suspect, Essien Emmanuel Akpama, male, aged 20, was arrested on 5th January, 2026, by operatives of the Anti-Fraud Unit of the Airport Police Command while attempting to board a flight out of Lagos State,” the statement read in part.

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

Details of the alleged scams and recovered items

The statement noted that in one highlighted case, Akpama reportedly deceived a 47-year-old female victim in the U.S. into transferring one million U.S. dollars under the pretext of purchasing property in Florida for an orphanage, using a cryptocurrency scheme called “BullRun 2.0,” formerly “4 Way Mirror Money.”

In another instance, he allegedly defrauded a 70-year-old U.S. victim of N25,709,400 (about $18,000) through purchases of gift cards, high-end mobile devices, and computer equipment, which were shipped to Nigeria at his direction.

Items recovered in connection with the case include a MacBook Pro 14-inch, an iPhone 17 Pro Max, and three Google Pixel devices, collectively valued at N8,141,367.

Investigators noted that the suspect posed as a 60-year-old orthopedic surgeon working with the United Nations in Nigeria, claiming the devices were necessary for secure communications with his victims.

The Commissioner of Police, Airport Police Command, CP Ogunbode Olufunke, reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to preventing criminal elements from exploiting airport corridors to evade justice. She emphasized that intelligence-driven operations would continue to detect, disrupt, and dismantle criminal networks operating within Nigeria’s aviation ecosystem.

What you should know

The arrest of Essien Emmanuel Akpama follows intensified efforts by authorities at airports over the past few months to combat transnational crimes and prevent the use of airport corridors to evade justice.

In December 2025, Nigerian Customs intercepted undeclared foreign currencies worth about N2.28 billion from an Austrian national at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) as he attempted to board a Dubai-bound flight.

Other notable seizures over the past months include $420,900, £5,825, and millions in CFA francs at Kano Airport in July 2025; $49,000 undeclared from a Dubai-bound passenger at MMIA; and $578,000 recovered last year from another traveller.

These intelligence-driven operations continue to detect, disrupt, and dismantle criminal networks operating within and around Nigeria’s aviation ecosystem.
https://nairametrics.com/2026/01/06/police-arrest-romance-scam-suspect-involved-in-n1bn-fraud-at-lagos-airport/

Re: Police Arrest Romance Scam Suspect Involved In ₦1 Billion Fraud At Lagos Airport by Dididrumz(m): 8:33am On Jan 07
People will always keep falling for these scans, it will never end.
Re: Police Arrest Romance Scam Suspect Involved In ₦1 Billion Fraud At Lagos Airport by saintkel(m): 9:50am On Jan 07
Oyibo still de fall mugu for dis kind thing?...it still shows there's hope for love ...na 9ja babe u wan scam with love?
Re: Police Arrest Romance Scam Suspect Involved In ₦1 Billion Fraud At Lagos Airport by Jydolomo: 9:50am On Jan 07
#1billion naira. This is outrageous
Re: Police Arrest Romance Scam Suspect Involved In ₦1 Billion Fraud At Lagos Airport by ZombieTAMER: 9:52am On Jan 07
Did he also sell drugs in Chicago
Re: Police Arrest Romance Scam Suspect Involved In ₦1 Billion Fraud At Lagos Airport by MartinCorridon: 9:52am On Jan 07
Minus one vote for Peter Obi.
Re: Police Arrest Romance Scam Suspect Involved In ₦1 Billion Fraud At Lagos Airport by RollinTNDA: 9:53am On Jan 07
Yahoo still dey work in 2026??
I think say Oyinbo don wise up by now...
Re: Police Arrest Romance Scam Suspect Involved In ₦1 Billion Fraud At Lagos Airport by Awise09(m): 9:53am On Jan 07
OmooooX10,000
Chaiiiii
Re: Police Arrest Romance Scam Suspect Involved In ₦1 Billion Fraud At Lagos Airport by temitope66(m): 9:53am On Jan 07
How una dey do this big fraud of a thing, 20 years of age 😒
Re: Police Arrest Romance Scam Suspect Involved In ₦1 Billion Fraud At Lagos Airport by ogbiwa: 9:53am On Jan 07
1m dollars. Not ordinary
Re: Police Arrest Romance Scam Suspect Involved In ₦1 Billion Fraud At Lagos Airport by Olu1000: 9:54am On Jan 07
TruthHurts1:
https://nairametrics.com/2026/01/06/police-arrest-romance-scam-suspect-involved-in-n1bn-fraud-at-lagos-airport/
Yahoo boys dey hammer oh. No wonder they hate Police and EFCC because they don’t want to lose all they have stolen.
Re: Police Arrest Romance Scam Suspect Involved In ₦1 Billion Fraud At Lagos Airport by Antichristian2: 9:54am On Jan 07
I wanna be a Billionaireeeeeee!
Re: Police Arrest Romance Scam Suspect Involved In ₦1 Billion Fraud At Lagos Airport by njokuuche77(m): 9:54am On Jan 07
Na wa oo, a 20years old. this is very sad. I created a thread of how bad parenting is influencing a lot of vices among the youths.

https://www.nairaland.com/8589355/parenting-how-homes-producing-todays
Re: Police Arrest Romance Scam Suspect Involved In ₦1 Billion Fraud At Lagos Airport by chipet67(m): 9:54am On Jan 07
Because of the amount involved... We need to give this guy special attention.
Re: Police Arrest Romance Scam Suspect Involved In ₦1 Billion Fraud At Lagos Airport by iwaeda: 9:56am On Jan 07
I doubt he is 20 years, thank God he was caught. Those aspire to perspire family. grin grin grin grin grin
Re: Police Arrest Romance Scam Suspect Involved In ₦1 Billion Fraud At Lagos Airport by donleo92(m): 9:57am On Jan 07
Oooh boy, dude is young oooh!!!

It's well ooh, Nigeria youth and scam
Re: Police Arrest Romance Scam Suspect Involved In ₦1 Billion Fraud At Lagos Airport by BigYash: 9:59am On Jan 07
Definitely the Yahoo plus gang. Which oyibo wan use clear eyes send such money . I don't blive
Re: Police Arrest Romance Scam Suspect Involved In ₦1 Billion Fraud At Lagos Airport by IAM4BAT4plus4: 10:00am On Jan 07
Akpama amaka





Biafra amaka





Igbo amaka 😂
Re: Police Arrest Romance Scam Suspect Involved In ₦1 Billion Fraud At Lagos Airport by TOPCRUISE(m): 10:00am On Jan 07
End of the road.
After his 5 to 10 year jail term he won’t walk out a millionaire except he has invested part of the proceeds in another person’s name.
Re: Police Arrest Romance Scam Suspect Involved In ₦1 Billion Fraud At Lagos Airport by Alaefulu(m): 10:01am On Jan 07
I pray this is not what they want us to know they are telling us,it should be the actual fact of the matter
Re: Police Arrest Romance Scam Suspect Involved In ₦1 Billion Fraud At Lagos Airport by ajalawole(m): 10:09am On Jan 07
saintkel:
Oyibo still de fall mugu for dis kind thing?...it still shows there's hope for love ...na 9ja babe u wan scam with love?
people dey get 200m weekly here. Work smart not hard.
Re: Police Arrest Romance Scam Suspect Involved In ₦1 Billion Fraud At Lagos Airport by ajalawole(m): 10:12am On Jan 07
BigYash:
Definitely the Yahoo plus gang. Which oyibo wan use clear eyes send such money . I don't blive
gift card or Btc bro... Some dey see 500 doll x10 gift card weekly do the maths for a month.
Re: Police Arrest Romance Scam Suspect Involved In ₦1 Billion Fraud At Lagos Airport by CandyOps(m): 10:12am On Jan 07
TOPCRUISE:
End of the road.
After his 5 to 10 year jail term he won’t walk out a millionaire except he has invested part of the proceeds in another person’s name.
You really think he’ll smell jail?
This is Nigeria bro. Except he is extradited to the USA else na 2 weeks highest for Interpol cell
Re: Police Arrest Romance Scam Suspect Involved In ₦1 Billion Fraud At Lagos Airport by CandyOps(m): 10:13am On Jan 07
God I see what you’re doing for others. I am next in line. I go manage even 10k usd.
Re: Police Arrest Romance Scam Suspect Involved In ₦1 Billion Fraud At Lagos Airport by ernesco0816517(m): 10:13am On Jan 07
1 billion @20yrs , see soft life, naw na kirikiri straight
Re: Police Arrest Romance Scam Suspect Involved In ₦1 Billion Fraud At Lagos Airport by ranoman: 10:14am On Jan 07
TOPCRUISE:
End of the road.
After his 5 to 10 year jail term he won’t walk out a millionaire except he has invested part of the proceeds in another person’s name.
The case will die unless fbi is involved. If not otilo. I know of big cases that unit handled. They collect better bribe lock up
Re: Police Arrest Romance Scam Suspect Involved In ₦1 Billion Fraud At Lagos Airport by Didijiji: 10:15am On Jan 07
RollinTNDA:
Yahoo still dey work in 2026??
I think say Oyinbo don wise up by now...
cele girls full TikTok Dey sell working oils and perfumes
Re: Police Arrest Romance Scam Suspect Involved In ₦1 Billion Fraud At Lagos Airport by BigYash: 10:23am On Jan 07
ajalawole:
gift card or Btc bro... Some dey see 500 doll x10 gift card weekly do the maths for a month.
Omo.. I swear this news now sef go inspire more criminals
Re: Police Arrest Romance Scam Suspect Involved In ₦1 Billion Fraud At Lagos Airport by ViceGovernor: 10:24am On Jan 07
Lagos airport is bugged, Abuja is a no-go area,
Use Aminu Kano international airport for your peace of mind.
Re: Police Arrest Romance Scam Suspect Involved In ₦1 Billion Fraud At Lagos Airport by ruggedtimi(m): 10:29am On Jan 07
Once you hit $1m they will come for you.
Re: Police Arrest Romance Scam Suspect Involved In ₦1 Billion Fraud At Lagos Airport by Real2088: 10:35am On Jan 07
When America mentioned coming to Nigeria,Some people misunderstood their coming,mind you it isn't just because of insecurity,Yahoo boy take note,they already got some lists and your name might be there grin
Re: Police Arrest Romance Scam Suspect Involved In ₦1 Billion Fraud At Lagos Airport by Oddkashy(m): 10:35am On Jan 07
He left a lot of digital footprints. Easy to track.
1 2 Reply

Ado Ekiti Boutique Scam: Suspect Apprehended In Ikere EkitiObinwanne Okeke "InvictusObi" Pleads Guilty To ₦4.2 Billion FraudThe Woman Who Is Accused Of Fraud At Union Bank In Abuja Is Also A Pastor(photo)234

Kastina Government Officials Arrested Over Theft Of ₦31 MillionFather ‘sells’ Son For N250,000“I Am As Guilty As Charged,” Fake Medical Doctor Tells Court