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Police arrest 2 over alleged €14.7mn fraud against German coy

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The Police on Sunday said it has arrested two suspects for allegedly defrauding a German Company of 14.7 million Euros in pretext to procure COVID-19 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

The Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Mr Frank Mba, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja.
He said the suspects were arrested by the Cybercrime Unit of the Force INTERPOL National Central Bureau, Abuja.
Mba said one of the suspects, 50, was a Master Degree holder in Cell Biology, while the second suspect, 41, is the Managing Director of Musterpoint Investment Nig. Ltd.
He said the duo were members of a sophisticated transnational criminal network that cloned the corporate website of ILBN Holdings BV, Holland to defraud one Freiherr Fredrick Von Hahn.
The FPRO said Hahn is a representative of the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia.
He said the arrest of the suspects was sequel to a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) received by the Bureau from the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
Mba said the MLAT was a request from the German Government for investigations into a fraudulent transaction on the procurement of COVID-19 PPE linked to a Nigerian based bank account.
“Discrete investigations by INTERPOL Nigeria revealed that the suspects and their Holland-based cohorts, specialized in identity theft, cyber-stalking, cloning of corporate websites amongst other cyber mischiefs to defraud unsuspecting members of the public across the world.
“In this instance, the suspects fraudulently obtained from the victim, the sum of 1.5m Euro and another 880,000 Euro as advanced payment for the supply of COVID-19 PPEs valued at 14.7million Euros.
“Disturbed by the non-arrival of the PPEs, the victim visited the corporate office of ILBN Holdings BV in Holland to inquire reasons for the delay in supplying the items.
“That was when we fnd out that the company never did business with him and that the transaction was a scam,” he said.
Mba said the fraudsters merely cloned the company’s website and falsely presented themselves as representatives of the company before executing the fraudulent transaction.
He said it was on this ground that the victim reported to the Police in Holland and this led to the arrest of two suspects in Holland and investigations extended to Nigeria.
According to him, investigation by INTERPOL Nigeria further revealed that one of the suspects received 498,000 Euro from the suspects arrested in Holland through his Citibank London account.
He said same was transferred to an account number domiciled with a Lagos branch of a leading commercial bank in Nigeria belonging to Musterpoint Investment Nig. Ltd.
Mba said the Inspector General of Police (I-G), Mr Mohammed Adamu, commended the Commissioner of Police, INTERPOL, Mr Garba Umar, and operatives of INTERPOL Nigeria, Cybercrime Unit for a job well done.
He said the I-G pledged the commitment of the Police to tackle cybercrimes and other transnational crimes, adding that there would be no hiding place for internet fraudsters in the country.
Mba said the suspects would be arraigned before a competent court of law upon completion of investigations. (NAN)

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Crime

3 Egyptians arrested for assault at University of Calabar Teaching Hospital

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The Cross River Police Command has arrested three Egyptian nationals for allegedly assaulting a female security officer at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH).

The suspects Mohammed Ayan, 24; Mohammed Mohammed, 40; and Ahmed Mohammed, 20 were said to have entered the hospital premises around 12 noon on Monday to hawk household items, an act prohibited within the facility.

Zagazola confirmed from sources that a security officer, Christiana Ada Ewa, 34, attached to the hospital’s surveillance unit, attempted to stop the men from hawking when one of them, Ayan, allegedly assaulted her.

Her colleague, Ethan Ita Ansa, 24, intervened, resulting in a physical altercation between the parties. During the scuffle, Ansa’s uniform was torn and he sustained a finger injury, while Ayan also suffered bruises on his right eyebrow and knees.

Police detectives promptly visited the scene and arrested the suspects. The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for discreet investigation.

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Crime

Army officer dies after being set ablaze by wife in Akwa Ibom.

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A Nigerian Army officer, Lt. Samson Haruna, has died after sustaining severe burns when his wife allegedly set him ablaze during a domestic dispute at Wellington Bassey Barracks, Ibagwa, Abak Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom.

Zagazola Makama learnt that the tragic incident occurred on Sept. 22, 2025.

The source said the officer, who was also a medical doctor attached to the 6 Battalion Regimental Medical Officer (RMO), had a heated argument with his wife, Mrs. Samson Haruna, which resulted in her dousing him with petrol (PMS) and setting him on fire.

“The officer sustained severe burns and was immediately stabilised at the Military Reference Section (MRS) in the barracks before being evacuated to the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital for further management,” the source said.

The officer, however, succumbed to his injuries despite efforts by medical personnel to save his life.

It was further gathered that the suspect has been arrested and is currently in custody while an investigation into the incident is ongoing.

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Crime

Police arrest suspected armed robber, recover firearms and POS machines in Abuja

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The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arrested a suspected armed robber and recovered a locally-made pistol and several stolen items in Gwagwalada Area Council.

Sources told Zagazola Makama that the arrest followed a complaint lodged by one Kabiru Ahmed of Kasuwan Dare, Gwagwalada, who reported that two men swapped his Moniepoint POS machine on Oct. 1, 2025, at about 2:55 p.m.

Detectives from the Gwagwalada Division swiftly acted on the report and apprehended one Abdul Abdullahi of Kano State, who confessed to being part of a syndicate notorious for POS swapping and robbery within the area.

The suspect named his accomplices as Yusuf Abdul, Mustapha Abba, Faruk, and Abu Chibola, and later led police operatives to their hideout in Angwan Dodo, Gwagwalada.

However, the other suspects escaped through the ceiling and roof of the building towards a nearby river upon sighting the operatives. One female suspect, Rahama Michael was arrested at the scene.

Items recovered include one fabricated locally-made pistol, six POS machines, seven ATM cards, 37 SIM cards, six wristwatches, and one axe.

The State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) has commenced a full investigation, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend the fleeing members of the syndicate.

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