The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrimes Centre (NPF-NCCC) has arrested seven suspects in connection with alleged money laundering, business email compromise, sextortion, blackmail, romance scams, identity theft, impersonation and other cyber-enabled offences.

The Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of the NPF-NCCC, Akaninyene Ezima, disclosed this on Wednesday at a press conference in Abuja, where he detailed the outcome of several intelligence-led investigations conducted by the Centre.

Ezima said one of the investigations, codenamed “Operation Broken Mask,” was conducted in collaboration with the German Federal Police, Bundeskriminalamt (BKA), and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) under the Budapest Convention 24/7 Network.

The operation followed a request from the BKA for the preservation of data linked to an IP address allegedly used in a sophisticated business email compromise operation.

He said investigative processes linked the IP address to a suspect who was arrested at his residence in Megamound Estate, Lekki, Lagos, on July 20.

Forensic examination of devices recovered from the residence allegedly uncovered more than 12.5 million email logs belonging to victims in over 50 countries.

According to the AIG, the suspect's Bank Verification Number was linked to accounts with six financial institutions and fintech platforms, including Guaranty Trust Bank, Zenith Bank, FairMoney, Carbon, OPay and PalmPay.

Police also recovered a Mercedes-Benz AMG GLC 43 allegedly purchased with proceeds of crime, while the suspect was said to have made more than N100 million from the operation.

Ezima said the suspect allegedly obtained phishing kits through Telegram and used them to compromise Microsoft 365 credentials of employees at targeted companies.

The stolen credentials were allegedly used as part of a business email compromise scheme targeting victims in several countries.

In another investigation, the Centre arrested the owner of a technology company over alleged international cyber-enabled investment fraud and money laundering. Ezima said the arrest followed a petition by Ugwu Francisca & Co. on behalf of Elizabeth and Prince Iruaregbon, who alleged that they lost N56.3 million after being induced to invest in a WhatsApp-based stock-trading platform that promised high returns.

He said investigators traced the funds to accounts operated by entities allegedly linked to the syndicate and found that the suspect's technology company allegedly served as a channel for converting proceeds of the fraud.

An examination of the company's account with Save Heaven Microfinance Bank showed terminal cash inflows and outflows of about N3.2 billion between October 30, 2025, and May 31, 2026.

The police chief added that investigators discovered that approximately N3.6 billion in suspected proceeds of crime had been converted into Tether (USDT) stablecoins through peer-to-peer transactions on the Bybit cryptocurrency platform.

The suspect was arrested on August 13 in Agiliti, Lagos, and allegedly admitted to owning Kestart Technology and engaging in peer-to-peer cryptocurrency trading on Bybit.

The Centre also arrested two suspects in Anambra State over alleged conspiracy, identity theft, impersonation and computer-related fraud.

Ezima said the investigation followed a complaint by Faruk Yabo, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, who alleged that an individual was impersonating him on WhatsApp and Facebook.

The suspects were arrested on August 4 following technical intelligence and other investigative activities.

Police said they recovered 24 registered and 33 unregistered MTN SIM cards, 26 registered and 18 unregistered Airtel SIM cards, as well as an MTN toolkit.

According to Ezima, one of the suspects admitted to buying and selling registered and unregistered SIM cards and creating a social media account in the identity of a United Kingdom citizen.

The account was allegedly used to defraud unsuspecting victims in India.

The AIG said the investigations formed part of the Centre's wider efforts to combat increasingly sophisticated cybercrime involving digital platforms, cryptocurrency, identity theft and cross-border fraud. He stressed that the use of cryptocurrency, encrypted communication platforms and false identities would not prevent law enforcement agencies from tracing suspected criminal proceeds.

Ezima urged members of the public to exercise caution when engaging in online investment opportunities, romantic relationships and other digital transactions, particularly where strangers request money or sensitive personal information.

He also advised Nigerians not to disclose passwords, banking details, BVNs or intimate photographs to unverified persons and encouraged victims and members of the public to promptly report suspicious online activities to the police.