Police National Cybercrime Centre Nabs Fake World Bank Top Shot, Smashes Cross Border Fraud Syndicate

The Nigeria Police Force has announced major breakthroughs in its ongoing crackdown on cybercrime, with operatives of the Police National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) dismantling a cross-border fraud syndicate and arresting a suspect who allegedly posed as a top official of the World Bank to defraud victims of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The operations, carried out under the leadership of the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, were described as a significant step in protecting Nigeria’s digital economy and restoring investor confidence.

Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Anthony Okon Placid, disclosed in a statement that the arrest followed “an intelligence-led operation based on actionable information from the East Africa Sub-Sahara Africa Safe Promotion Foundation in Nairobi, Kenya.”

According to him, the prime suspect, Agbor Martins Black-Diamond, also known as Oruojong Black Diamond Agbor Martins, “falsely represented himself as an official of the World Bank and other United States-based donor partners,” deceiving victims into parting with large sums of money.

He said, “Preliminary investigations revealed that the victims transferred a total of $250,000 over a period of three years for supposed registration and administrative fees to access donor funding. No such funding existed.”

Police findings showed that the suspect went further to organize fake symposiums in Nigeria and South Africa to sustain the fraud, and in 2024 allegedly convinced victims to secure a bank loan using family property to access a non-existent $850,000 empowerment fund in Ghana.

“Financial analysis confirmed inflows including $57,975 received between February and July 2023,” the statement added.

The suspect was arrested on March 31, 2026, while investigations uncovered that his foundation, Black Diamond African Beauty Restoration Foundation, was not registered in Nigeria.

He later registered another entity, United African Continent Limited, in November 2024 in a bid to legitimize his operations.
Police further revealed that the suspect also targeted local farmers in Kuje Area Council, collecting ₦50,000 each under the guise of empowerment programmes.

In a related development, the NPF-NCCC arrested one Chinedu Mbachu, a former employee of a Makurdi-based firm, over alleged cyber-related offences including system tampering, cybersquatting, and diversion of company funds.

“He confessed to using his personal bank accounts to receive payments meant for the company,” the police said, adding that items recovered from him included a Samsung A6 Plus mobile phone and National Identification Number slips.

Similarly, two other suspects, Ayodele Daramola and Dada Babatunde Oluwatobi, were arrested over an alleged ₦85 million fraud involving Business Email Compromise, data breach, and money laundering.

The police disclosed that “between May and December 2025, the suspects conspired to divert company funds by exploiting internal systems and channeling the proceeds through a commercial bank account.”

Investigations showed that 21 per cent of the stolen funds, amounting to about ₦17.85 million, was retained by Babatunde, while the remaining ₦67.15 million was transferred to an online account linked to Daramola.
“Further findings indicate that about ₦61 million was spent on online gambling and betting platforms,” the statement said.

Recovered items from the suspects include ₦4 million in cash, a Lexus ES350 vehicle, a Dell laptop, and an iPhone 13 Pro Max.
Reaffirming the Force’s stance, the Inspector-General of Police stated that “Nigeria is not a safe haven for cybercriminals,” vowing that the police would continue to pursue offenders across borders.

He added, “The Nigeria Police Force remains committed to safeguarding the digital economy and ensuring that all perpetrators are brought to justice.”

The police said investigations are ongoing, with efforts underway to recover remaining funds and prosecute all those involved.