Nigeria’s INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) has apprehended two major suspects in separate high-profile cases involving cybercrime and financial fraud, following extensive investigations spanning four years.
Nigerian Woman Re-Arrested in Abuja
Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Muyiwa Adejobi, announced on Tuesday that Ms. Okeke Ogechi Njaka was re-arrested on May 8, 2025, at a hideout in Abuja. Njaka had previously been arrested on January 4, 2025, in Anambra State but reportedly jumped administrative bail shortly after.
Her arrest followed a petition by Hajia Maryam Shehu through M.I. Tsav & Co., accusing her of cyberbullying, cyberstalking, obtaining money under false pretences, cheating, and criminal breach of trust.
Investigations revealed that Njaka had been distributing explicit photos and videos of her victims via social media platforms. She had been declared wanted in a Special Police Gazette Bulletin issued in 2021 and is now scheduled for arraignment at the Federal High Court on May 13, 2025.
Njaka’s NGO, Ogechi Helping Hands Foundation, is also under prosecution along with Emeka Ezeogbo and the Tolotolo Family Foundation. They are accused of fraudulently acquiring ₦452.8 million through a fake medical assistance scheme.
Canadian Suspect Arrested Over $210,000 Scam
In a separate operation, INTERPOL arrested Canadian national Robert Harms on February 7, 2025, at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja while he attempted to flee to Canada.
Harms allegedly defrauded Tepison Enterprises, a Nigerian firm based in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State, of $210,000 by posing as a representative of a bogus Waste-to-Energy project in Canada.
Adejobi revealed that Harms, introduced to the company through a Polaris Bank account officer in June 2023, lured the firm into investing with promises of a $30,000 return in four weeks—returns that never materialized.
Investigations uncovered that Harms forged a Project Bridge Loan Agreement and funneled the funds through a Bureau de Change in Abuja to a Dubai account. Authorities later confirmed that VDQ-NRG Systems Limited, the company Harms claimed to represent, had no affiliation with him.
Harms was formally charged at the Federal High Court in Uyo on April 22, 2025, arraigned on May 9, and remanded in Uyo Custodial Centre. His case will resume on May 20, 2025.
Police Warn Against Cross-Border Scams
Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, reaffirmed the force’s commitment to combating transnational financial crimes. He urged Nigerians and businesses to exercise due diligence when entering international deals and to report any suspicious financial activities promptly.
