Police arrest Canadian, Nigerian over N452m, $210,000 fraud
The Nigeria Police Force has arrested two high-profile suspects in connection with major transnational financial crimes, including a $210,000 investment fraud and a ₦452 million charity scam.
According to a statement issued on Monday by ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, Force Public Relations Officer, the arrests were made by operatives of the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) Abuja as part of an intensified crackdown on cybercrime and financial fraud.
The suspects, identified as Robert Harms, a Canadian national, and Ms Okeke Ogechi Njaka, a Nigerian, were arrested in separate intelligence-led operations.
Harms was apprehended on February 7, 2025, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja while attempting to flee to Canada. He was wanted in connection with a fraudulent Waste-to-Energy investment scheme targeting Tepison Enterprises, a company based in Akwa Ibom State.
The company had transferred $210,000 after being misled by Harms into believing they were investing in a Canadian project. The scheme, introduced via a Polaris Bank staff member, involved fake documents and the use of a Bureau de Change in Abuja to funnel money to Dubai.
He was arraigned at the Federal High Court, Uyo, on May 9, 2025, after criminal charges were filed on April 22. The court ordered that he be remanded in Uyo Custodial Centre, with the case adjourned to May 20, 2025.
In a separate case, Ms. Okeke Ogechi Njaka, a Nigerian, was re-arrested on May 8 in Abuja. She was declared wanted in 2021 for offences including cyberbullying, cyberstalking, obtaining money under false pretences, and criminal breach of trust. Her initial arrest was in Anambra State in January, but she absconded after being granted administrative bail.
“Persistent intelligence-led efforts led to her re-arrest at a hideout in Abuja,” Adejobi confirmed.
Njaka is also being prosecuted alongside her NGO, Ogechi Helping Hands Foundation, for allegedly defrauding the public of ₦452,821,982 in a fake medical aid scheme. Two others, Emeka Ezeogbo and the Tolotolo Family Foundation, are being prosecuted in the same case.
Reaffirming the police’s commitment to combating cyber and financial crimes, Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun, urged Nigerians to exercise caution when engaging in international business transactions.
“The Nigeria Police Force under the leadership of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM once again emphasises its unyielding resolve to combat all forms of transnational financial crimes and urges members of the public to exercise utmost caution and due diligence before entering into high-value international agreements and to promptly report any suspicious activity to law enforcement agencies,” the statement read.
