The Airport Police Command, Lagos, has arrested a 20-year-old man, Essien Emmanuel Akpama, accused of defrauding multiple victims in the United States of over N1 billion (more than $1 million) through a celebrity romance and fraud scheme.
In a statement signed by ASP Mohammed Adeola, Police Public Relations Officer of the Airport Police Command on Tuesday, the force said the arrest followed months of intelligence-led surveillance.
“The Nigeria Police Force, Airport Police Command, in its sustained efforts to combat transnational crimes and prevent the use of Nigerian airports as escape routes for criminal elements, has arrested a notorious celebrity scam and romance fraud suspect,” the statement read.
“The suspect, Essien Emmanuel Akpama, was arrested on 5th January, 2026, by operatives of the Anti-Fraud Unit of the Airport Police Command while attempting to board a flight out of Lagos State.”
Investigations revealed that Akpama relocated from Calabar, Cross River State, to Lagos on February 23, 2024, from where he coordinated several fraudulent schemes.
One of the scams involved a 47-year-old woman in the US, who was deceived into transferring $1 million under the pretext of purchasing property in Florida for an orphanage.
“The suspect, through a celebrity scam modus operandi, deceived a 47-year-old female victim in the United States into transferring one million US dollars under the pretext of purchasing property in Florida for an orphanage,” the statement said.
The funds were solicited via a cryptocurrency scheme called “BullRun 2.0,” formerly known as “4 Way Mirror Money.”
It was also revealed that Akpama also defrauded a 70-year-old US woman of N25,709,400 (about $18,000) through purchases of gift cards, high-end mobile phones, and computer equipment shipped to Nigeria under his direction.
“Further investigations revealed that the suspect also defrauded another 70-year-old female victim in the United States of a total sum of N25,709,400, equivalent to $18,000.
“The fraud was perpetrated through the purchase of gift cards, high-end mobile devices, and computer equipment, which were shipped to Nigeria at the suspect’s direction,” the statement added.
Recovered items include a MacBook Pro 14-inch, an iPhone 17 Pro Max, two Google Pixel 10 Pro XL devices, and one Google Pixel 10 Pro, collectively valued at N8,141,367.
The statement further added that, “The suspect reportedly posed as a 60-year-old orthopaedic surgeon working with the United Nations in Nigeria to convince victims that the devices were needed for secure communications.”
Commissioner of Police, Airport Police Command, CP Ogunbode Olufunke, Mnips, PhD, reiterated the importance of intelligence-driven operations in curbing crime.
“The Command will continue to deploy intelligence-driven operations to detect, disrupt, and dismantle criminal networks operating within and around Nigeria’s aviation ecosystem,” she said.
The case has been transferred to the Nigeria Police Force Special Fraud Unit for further investigation, and the suspect will be arraigned in court upon completion of the inquiry.
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