The Nigeria Police Force has arrested a 20-year-old man identified as Essien Emmanuel Akpama over his alleged involvement in a N1 billion fraud targeting an American woman, alongside other romance scams.
In a statement seen by Dockaysworld on Tuesday, the Airport Police Command said Akpama, was arrested on January 5, 2026, while attempting to board a flight out of Lagos.
Police said the arrest followed months of intelligence-led surveillance based on credible information linking the suspect to international fraud activities.
According to the statement, investigations showed that Akpama relocated from Calabar, Cross River State, to Lagos in February 2024, where he allegedly coordinated several fraudulent schemes.
The police alleged that in one case, the suspect deceived a 47-year-old woman in the United States into transferring one million dollars under the pretext of purchasing property in Florida for an orphanage, using a cryptocurrency scheme known as “BullRun 2.0.”
The statement added that the suspect also allegedly defrauded another 70-year-old American woman of N25.7 million, equivalent to $18,000, through gift cards and electronic devices shipped to Nigeria at his direction.
Items recovered in connection with the case include laptops and high-end mobile phones valued at over N8.1 million. Police said the suspect allegedly posed as a United Nations orthopedic surgeon to gain the victims’ trust.
The case has been transferred to the Nigeria Police Force Special Fraud Unit for further investigation, after which the suspect will be charged to court.