Police Arrest Suspect Over ₦5.7m Cyber Fraud

The Nigeria Police Force, through its National Cyber Crime Centre (NPF-NCCC), has arrested a 27-year-old suspect, Aliyu Muhammed, over alleged involvement in computer-related fraud, identity theft, obtaining by false pretence and money laundering.

Muhammed was arrested following a petition filed by an Akwa Ibom-based university lecturer whose identity was withheld.

According to the Acting Police Public Liaison Officer of the NPF-NCCC, DSP Unwana Imah, the complainant in March 2026 responded to an online advertisement for household items on a Facebook “declutter” page operating under the name Shophouseholditems.

“The seller moved negotiations to WhatsApp, where the complainant was induced to make total payments of ₦5,700,000,” Imah said.

She explained that the funds were transferred into multiple fintech accounts, after which the suspect allegedly failed to deliver the goods, blocked the victim, and abandoned the fraudulent Facebook page.

Following the petition, the NPF-NCCC, with support from technical tracking tools and cooperation from Meta Inc., traced the operator of the account used to run the scam.

The suspect was reportedly tracked to Katsina State, where he was arrested.

The police further stated that the sum of ₦5.7 million has been recovered, while investigation into the case is still ongoing.

Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, reaffirmed the Force’s commitment to tackling cybercrime and protecting citizens from online fraudsters.

The police also advised members of the public to exercise caution when engaging in transactions on social media platforms, verify sellers’ identities, and avoid making large payments to unverified accounts before confirming goods and services.