Chai! My people, wetin I go tell you today fit shock you! E be like say na new level of internet fraud wey we dey observe for Naija. Just imagine say dem don catch one 20-year-old pikin wey don allegedly chop mouth for big money matter! This boy, Essien Akpama, na serious matter o, him dey suspect say e don defraud foreign victims about N1.25 billion!
Na on January 5, 2026, dem carry am go police station as he dey prepare to board fly from Lagos. Police Public Relations Officer for Airport Police Command, ASP Mohammed Adeola, don yarn say this boy na target of international fraud, wey don turn Lagos airport into him escape route. Na months of serious surveillance before dem finally catch am.
From wetin police talk, dis Essien boy no be small fish o! E don relocate from Calabar to Lagos on February 23, 2024. From there, he dey run several scams wey dey target foreign nationals. E even use romance scam chop mouth for one 47-year-old woman for USA, make she transfer $1 million to am, wey dey over N1 billion for Naija currency! E dey claim say na for orphanage property for Florida, but no be true at all.
Naija police talk say the boy dey use cryptocurrency scam wey dem dey call ‘BullRun 2.0‘ before, e don change am from ‘4 Way Mirror Money’. E fit be small boy, but him don use this scheme carry plenty foreign pipo dey run mad!
And e no stop there. Dem catch am too for another 70-year-old woman wey dey claim say she sabi him. He don collect $18,000 from her, wey dey roughly N25,709,400. How e do am? By making she buy gift cards and plenty high-end gadgets wey dem ship go Naija directly to am.
Police don recover plenty items wey get connection with the case, including Apple MacBook Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max and some Google Pixel gadgets! All of dem dey worth N8,141,367! E dey pose as one 60-year-old surgeon wey dey work with UN, say na for security reason he need all those gadgets.
The Commissioner of Police for the airport side, Ogunbode Olufunke, no gree take this matter light. She don talk say dem go dey use intelligence-driven operations to catch any criminal wey wan use airport as escape route. She don vow say airport corridors nor go be where criminals dey run amok.
Now, the case don dey transfer to the Nigeria Police Force Special Fraud Unit, and dem dey expect say dem go arraign am for court sharp-sharp after dem finish investigation. Make we dey shine our eye well well, because this na serious matter! No be to dey play for obodo Naija again, o! E dey hot!
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