The Airport Police Command in Lagos has arrested a 20-year-old suspect concerned in a romance and superstar fraud that allegedly defrauded victims in america of over N1 billion.
The disclosure was contained in a press release issued by ASP Mohammed Adeola, Police Public Relations Officer, Airport Police Command, Lagos, on Tuesday, sixth January 2026.
The suspect, recognized as Essien Emmanuel Akpama, was apprehended whereas trying to board a flight out of Lagos State.
In line with the assertion, the arrest adopted months of intelligence-led surveillance and monitoring primarily based on credible info.
Preliminary investigations revealed that Akpama, who beforehand resided in Calabar, relocated to Lagos on twenty third February 2024, from the place he allegedly coordinated and executed a number of fraudulent schemes.
“The Nigeria Police Drive, Airport Police Command, in its sustained efforts to fight transnational crimes and stop the usage of Nigerian airports as escape routes for prison parts, has arrested a infamous superstar rip-off and romance fraud suspect accountable for defrauding a number of victims in america of America of over N1,000,000,000 (one billion naira), which on conversion quantities to over a million United States {dollars}.
“The suspect, Essien Emmanuel Akpama, male, aged 20, was arrested on fifth January, 2026, by operatives of the Anti-Fraud Unit of the Airport Police Command whereas trying to board a flight out of Lagos State,” the assertion learn partly.
The case has been transferred to the Nigeria Police Drive Particular Fraud Unit (NPF-SFU) for additional investigation, and the suspect will probably be arraigned in courtroom upon completion of the investigations.
The assertion famous that in a single highlighted case, Akpama reportedly deceived a 47-year-old feminine sufferer within the U.S. into transferring a million U.S. {dollars} below the pretext of buying property in Florida for an orphanage, utilizing a cryptocurrency scheme known as “BullRun 2.0,” previously “4 Approach Mirror Cash.”
In one other occasion, he allegedly defrauded a 70-year-old U.S. sufferer of N25,709,400 (about $18,000) by means of purchases of present playing cards, high-end cell gadgets, and laptop gear, which have been shipped to Nigeria at his course.
Objects recovered in reference to the case embrace a MacBook Professional 14-inch, an iPhone 17 Professional Max, and three Google Pixel gadgets, collectively valued at N8,141,367. Investigators famous that the suspect posed as a 60-year-old orthopedic surgeon working with the United Nations in Nigeria, claiming the gadgets have been obligatory for safe communications along with his victims.
The Commissioner of Police, Airport Police Command, CP Ogunbode Olufunke, reaffirmed the Command’s dedication to stopping prison parts from exploiting airport corridors to evade justice. She emphasised that intelligence-driven operations would proceed to detect, disrupt, and dismantle prison networks working inside Nigeria’s aviation ecosystem.
The arrest of Essien Emmanuel Akpama follows intensified efforts by authorities at airports over the previous few months to fight transnational crimes and stop the usage of airport corridors to evade justice.
In December 2025, Nigerian Customs intercepted undeclared foreign currency echange price about N2.28 billion from an Austrian nationwide at Murtala Muhammed Worldwide Airport (MMIA) as he tried to board a Dubai-bound flight.
Different notable seizures over the previous months embrace $420,900, £5,825, and thousands and thousands in CFA francs at Kano Airport in July 2025; $49,000 undeclared from a Dubai-bound passenger at MMIA; and $578,000 recovered final yr from one other traveller.
These intelligence-driven operations proceed to detect, disrupt, and dismantle prison networks working inside and round Nigeria’s aviation ecosystem.