The Airport Police Command, Ikeja, Lagos State, on Tuesday, announced the arrest of a notorious romance fraud suspect, Essien Emmanuel Akpama, who allegedly defrauded multiple victims in the United States of America of over N1billion.
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In a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Command, ASP Mohammed Adeola, the arrest was said to be in line with the Command’s sustained efforts to combat transnational crimes and prevent Nigerian airports from being used as escape routes by criminal elements.
According to the PPRO, Akpama was apprehended by operatives of the Command’s Anti-Fraud Unit while attempting to board a flight out of Lagos State.
“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. His arrest followed months of intensive intelligence-led surveillance and monitoring based on credible information,” he stated.
He continued, “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 $1million 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 $18,000. 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 orthopaedic surgeon working with the United Nations in Nigeria, claiming the devices were required to maintain secure communication with the victim.”
The Command’s spokesman said the Commissioner of Police emphasised that the Command will continue to deploy intelligence-driven operations to detect, disrupt, and dismantle criminal networks operating within and around Nigeria’s aviation ecosystem.
“The Commissioner of Police, Airport Police Command, CP Ogunbode Olufunke, reaffirms the Command’s resolve to prevent criminal elements from exploiting airport corridors to evade justice.
“She emphasised that the Command will continue to deploy intelligence-driven operations to detect, disrupt, and dismantle criminal networks operating within and around Nigeria’s aviation ecosystem.
“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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