POLICE DETAIN ALLEGED PERPETRATOR OF BILLION-NAIRA ROMANCE SCAM
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By: Fasasi Hammad
The Nigeria Police Force has arrested a notorious celebrity scam and romance fraud suspect at Lagos airport.
ASP Mohammed Adeola, Police Public Relations Officer for the Airport Police Command, stated that Essien Emmanuel Akpama, 20, defrauded multiple victims in the United States of over N1 billion (approximately $1 million). The suspect was apprehended on January 5, 2026, by the Anti-Fraud Unit while attempting to board a flight out of Lagos.
According to the police, Akpama had relocated from Calabar, Cross River State, to Lagos on February 23, 2024, where he allegedly coordinated and executed multiple fraudulent schemes. His arrest followed months of intelligence-led surveillance.
Preliminary investigations revealed that in 2024, Akpama used a celebrity scam to deceive a 47-year-old U.S. woman into transferring $1 million under the guise of purchasing a Florida property for an orphanage. The funds were solicited via a cryptocurrency scheme known as “BullRun 2.0,” formerly “4 Way Mirror Money.”
Further investigations indicated he defrauded another 70-year-old U.S. woman of N25,709,400 (around $18,000) through purchases of gift cards, high-end mobile devices, and computer equipment, which were shipped to Nigeria. Recovered items include a MacBook Pro 14-inch, an iPhone 17 Pro Max, and three Google Pixel 10 devices, valued at over N8 million.
Police said the suspect posed as a 60-year-old orthopedic surgeon with the United Nations in Nigeria, claiming the devices were needed for secure communication with victims.
Commissioner of Police, Airport Police Command, CP Ogunbode Olufunke, Mnips, PhD, reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to preventing criminals from exploiting airport corridors to evade justice.
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