By Abubakar Yunusa
The Nigeria Police Force has dismantled a cross-border fraud syndicate and arrested a suspect posing as a World Bank official, in what authorities described as a major breakthrough in cybercrime investigations.
The operation, carried out by the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre, also led to the arrest of two individuals linked to business email compromise and diversion of company funds.
Force spokesman, Anthony Okon Placid, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, noting that the successes underscored the police’s resolve to combat financial fraud and safeguard Nigeria’s digital economy.
According to the police, the alleged kingpin, Agbor Martins Black-Diamond, who also operates under an alias, falsely presented himself as an official of the World Bank and other United States-based donor agencies.
Investigations revealed that two Kenyan victims were deceived into transferring $250,000 over a three-year period for purported registration and administrative fees to access non-existent funding.
The suspect reportedly organised fake symposiums in Nigeria and South Africa and later persuaded the victims in 2024 to secure a bank loan using family property to access a fictitious $850,000 empowerment fund in Ghana.
Police said financial analysis confirmed multiple inflows, including $57,975 between February and July 2023.
He was arrested on March 31, 2026, while his foundation was found to be unregistered. Authorities added that he later registered another company in November 2024 in a bid to legitimise the fraudulent scheme.
Further findings showed that the suspect extended the scam to local farmers in Kuje Area Council, collecting ₦50,000 each under the guise of empowerment.
In a related development, operatives arrested one Chinedu Mbachu, a former employee accused of tampering with company systems and diverting funds into personal accounts.
The police said the suspect confessed to receiving customer payments meant for his employer, with items including a Samsung A6 Plus phone and identification slips recovered.
Similarly, two suspects, Ayodele Daramola and Dada Babatunde Oluwatobi, were arrested over alleged conspiracy, data breach, fraud and money laundering.
Investigations revealed that between May and December 2025, the duo siphoned ₦85m from a company by exploiting internal systems and routing funds through a commercial bank account.
Police said N61m of the diverted funds was spent on online gambling, while cash and assets, including a Lexus vehicle, laptop and mobile phones, were recovered.
The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, reiterated that Nigeria would not serve as a safe haven for cybercriminals.
He assured the public and international community that the Force would continue to pursue offenders and ensure justice is served.
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