Abuja —Yesterday, the Force Headquarters announced that detectives from the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre, NPF-NCCC, had detained 10 suspected cyberstalkers as a result of the growing cyberthreats against the banking and financial industries and the public’s exposure to High-yield Investment Fraud (HYIF).
According to Force Headquarters, “the operation leading to the arrests of the suspects spanned from August 16 to 20, 2023, and was in response to the emergence of a new cyber threat characterised by the creation of cloned banking websites to facilitate high-yield investment scams and money laundering.
“The arrested suspects include Nwaonicha Emeka, 30; Osaretin Oghomwen, 27; Sunday Aniekan, 23; Devine Daniel, 19; Ibrahim Abdulaziz, 21; Daniel Omamuke, 23; Muhammed Azimeye, 29; Aniwen Abraham, 23; Pasca Obinna, 27 and Godwin Chinaza, 26, all male residents of the Federal Capital Territory.
“They have all confessed to their various degrees of involvement in these criminal activities and will be charged to court upon the conclusion of the investigation.”
The Police said efforts were on to inform and support victims of these fraudulent schemes on a global scale, pointing out that “the fraudulent online platforms involved in these activities have been confiscated.”
Emphasizing that the NPF-NCCC was upscaling the arrest of cyber criminals threatening the banking and financial sector fraudulently and preventing HYIF, the Force Headquarters said its meeting with Compliant and Fraud Desk officers from banks across Nigeria was to foster active collaboration and engagement in the ongoing battle against cybercrime.
“It is on the heels of the above that NPF-NCCC swiftly initiated a coordinated, intelligence-led operation, leading to the arrest of the 10 notorious cybercriminals.
“Members of the global cyber community are strongly advised to remain vigilant and report any platforms that promise unrealistically high returns on minimal investments or any other forms of cybercrime.”