Police arrest suspect over alleged ₦5.7m online fraud

By Kingsley Omonobi

ABUJA — The Nigeria Police Force, through the 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.

The Acting Public Liaison Officer of the NPF-NCCC, DSP Unwana Imah, disclosed this in a statement on Friday in Abuja.

According to the statement, the suspect was arrested following a petition filed by a university lecturer based in Akwa Ibom State, whose identity was withheld.

Imah said the complainant alleged that in March 2026, he responded to advertisements for household items on a Facebook “declutter” page operated under the name “SHOPHOUSEHOLDITEMS.”

She explained that the suspect later moved discussions to WhatsApp, where the victim was allegedly persuaded to make payments totalling ₦5.7 million for the items.

“The funds were transferred to various Fintech bank accounts and after full payment was made, the goods were not delivered, the victim was blocked, and the fraudulent Facebook page was abandoned,” the statement read.

The police spokesperson said that following receipt of the petition, operatives of the NPF-NCCC, using technical assets and with the cooperation of Meta Inc., identified the owner of the account linked to the fraudulent page.

According to her, the suspect was subsequently traced to Katsina State, where he was arrested.

She added that the total sum allegedly lost by the victim had been recovered, while investigation into the matter was ongoing.

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, reaffirmed the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to tackling cybercrime and protecting Nigerians from online fraudsters.

The police also advised members of the public to exercise caution when carrying out transactions on social media platforms.

“Members of the public are advised to verify seller credentials and avoid making significant payments to unverified accounts before seeing what they are purchasing,” the statement added.

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