CYBERCRIME: POLICE ARREST SUSPECTS OVER MICROSOFT 365 PHISHING ATTACKS
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
The Nigeria Police Force, through its National Cybercrime Centre (NPF–NCCC), has arrested three suspected high-profile internet fraudsters linked to targeted cyberattacks on the email systems of major corporate organisations using Microsoft 365 platforms.
The arrests followed credible intelligence provided by Microsoft Corporation in the United States through the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which exposed the deployment of a sophisticated phishing toolkit known as RaccoonO365. The toolkit was designed to create fake Microsoft login portals to harvest user credentials and gain unauthorised access to the email accounts of corporate, financial and educational institutions.
According to the police, the intelligence prompted a coordinated, intelligence-driven operation involving the NPF–NCCC, Microsoft, the FBI and the United States Secret Service. Investigations traced several incidents of unauthorised Microsoft 365 account access between January and September 2025 to phishing emails that closely mimicked legitimate Microsoft authentication pages.
The cyberattacks reportedly resulted in business email compromise, data breaches and financial losses across multiple jurisdictions.
Acting on precise intelligence, NPF–NCCC operatives were deployed to Lagos and Edo states, where three suspects were apprehended. Searches conducted at their residences led to the recovery of laptops, mobile phones and other digital devices, which forensic analysis linked to the fraudulent activities.
Further investigations identified Okitipi Samuel, also known by the aliases “RaccoonO365” and “Moses Felix,” as the principal suspect and developer of the phishing infrastructure. Police said he allegedly operated a Telegram channel through which phishing links were sold in exchange for cryptocurrency and hosted fraudulent Microsoft login portals on Cloudflare using stolen or fraudulently obtained email credentials.
The police, however, clarified that investigations found no evidence linking the two other suspects to the creation or management of the phishing infrastructure.
Reaffirming its commitment to protecting Nigeria’s digital space, the Nigeria Police Force said it will continue to deploy advanced technology, strengthen international partnerships and pursue diligent investigations and prosecutions to combat evolving cybercrime threats.
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