From Molly Kilete, Abuja
The Police Force Headquarters in Abuja said operatives of the Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU) had recorded a major breakthrough in the fight against financial crime with the uncovering of a sophisticated fraud syndicate allegedly responsible for diverting more than ₦713.9 million from customers’ accounts.
According to Force Public Relations Officer Anthony Placid, the breakthrough followed a complaint from a financial institution in Nigeria, which reported a series of unauthorised debits linked to security breaches associated with a third-party platform.
Placid said in a statement: “Acting on the complaint, operatives of the PSFU deployed advanced investigative and digital forensic techniques, which revealed that fifteen (15) customers’ accounts were compromised, with funds swiftly funneled through a network of accounts in a coordinated laundering operation.”
The operation led to the arrest of two suspects, Oguntoyinbo Olawale and Kazeem Omokayode.
He said further investigations established that the suspects conspired with one Linda, a Chinese national currently at large, to use personal identification details, including Bank Verification Number (BVN), National Identification Number (NIN), and other credentials, to open multiple bank accounts across various financial institutions. The accounts, he said, were subsequently used to receive, conceal and launder illicit proceeds.
He further stated that the suspects now in custody would be arraigned before a court of competent jurisdiction, while efforts were being intensified to apprehend other members of the syndicate still at large.
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, psc(+), NPM, commended officers of the Police Special Fraud Unit for their efforts and reaffirmed the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to combating financial and cyber-enabled crimes.
