By Mercy Adi
The Nigeria Police Force has arrested a suspected fraudster who allegedly posed as an official of the World Bank, alongside two others linked to an ₦85m Business Email Compromise scam.
The arrests were made by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre in separate operations, the police said on Tuesday.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Anthony Okon Placid, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja.
He said the operations were conducted under the leadership of the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, as part of efforts to tackle cybercrime and financial fraud.
Placid said one Agbor Martins Black-Diamond, also known as Oruojong Black Diamond Agbor Martins, was arrested for allegedly impersonating a World Bank official and defrauding foreign victims.
According to him, the suspect was introduced to two Kenyan victims in Nairobi through an intermediary and falsely claimed to be affiliated with international donor partners.
“The victims transferred a total of $250,000 over three years as registration and administrative fees to access non-existent donor funding,” he said.
He added that the suspect organised fake symposiums in Nigeria and South Africa and later convinced the victims to obtain a bank loan using family property to access a supposed $850,000 empowerment fund in Ghana.
“The funds were never secured,” Placid said.
The police added that financial analysis showed multiple inflows from the victims, including $57,975 between February and July 2023.
He said the suspect was arrested on March 31, 2026, while investigations revealed that his foundation was not registered in Nigeria.
Placid added that the suspect later registered another entity in November 2024 to legitimise the scheme and also allegedly collected ₦50,000 from farmers in Kuje Area Council under the guise of empowerment.
In another case, the police arrested one Chinedu Mbachu, a former employee of a Makurdi-based firm, over alleged unauthorised system modification, cybersquatting, and diversion of company funds.
“He confessed to using his personal bank accounts to receive customer payments meant for the company,” Placid said, adding that a mobile phone and identity documents were recovered from him.
Similarly, operatives arrested Ayodele Daramola and Dada Babatunde Oluwatobi over alleged conspiracy, data breach, fraud, and money laundering.
The police said the suspects siphoned ₦85m between May and December 2025 by exploiting internal systems and diverting funds through a commercial bank account.
“About 21 per cent of the proceeds was retained, while 79 per cent was transferred to an online account linked to one of the suspects,” he said.
Placid added that about ₦61m was allegedly spent on online gambling platforms.
Recovered items include ₦4m cash, a Lexus ES350, a laptop, and a mobile phone.
The police said investigations were ongoing and efforts were being intensified to recover the remaining funds.
The IGP reiterated the Force’s stance against cybercrime.
“Nigeria is not a safe haven for cybercriminals. The Force will continue to pursue those who exploit technology for fraudulent purposes,” Disu said.