Lagos, January 6, 2026 – The Airport Police Command in Lagos has arrested 20-year-old Essien Emmanuel Akpama for allegedly defrauding victims in the United States of over ₦1 billion (more than $1 million) through a celebrity romance and cryptocurrency scam.
According to ASP Mohammed Adeola, Police Public Relations Officer, the arrest followed months of intelligence-led surveillance. Akpama was apprehended on January 5, 2026, while attempting to board a flight out of Lagos.
Investigations revealed that Akpama relocated from Calabar, Cross River State, to Lagos in February 2024, where he coordinated multiple fraud schemes.
One victim, a 47-year-old U.S. woman, was tricked into transferring $1 million for the alleged purchase of property in Florida for an orphanage, through a cryptocurrency scheme called “BullRun 2.0.”
Additionally, Akpama reportedly defrauded a 70-year-old U.S. woman of N25,709,400 (approximately $18,000) by purchasing gift cards, high-end phones, and computer equipment, which were shipped to Nigeria.
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Recovered items include a MacBook Pro 14-inch, an iPhone 17 Pro Max, and several Google Pixel devices valued at over N8 million.
The suspect is said to have posed as a 60-year-old UN orthopaedic surgeon to convince victims of the legitimacy of his schemes. The case has been transferred to the Nigeria Police Force Special Fraud Unit for further investigation, with court arraignment pending.
CP Ogunbode Olufunke, Commissioner of Police, Airport Command, emphasized the importance of intelligence-driven operations in curbing transnational crimes and preventing Nigerian airports from being used as escape routes for criminals.