Crime
NIGER DELTA YOUTH COUNCIL PROTESTS CEO’S DETENTION IN $87 MILLION FRAUD CASE
The Niger Delta Youth Council (NDYC) has voiced its strong objection to the continued detention of Jesam Michael, CEO of Afriq Arbitrage System (AAS), a cryptocurrency investment firm, who reported a $87 million fraud to the police.
Prince Michael Newgent Ekamon, President of the NDYC, expressed his frustration, stating, “My bitterness and my pains, and the people of the Niger Delta youth council, and Niger Delta, and my people, is that in this country, a complainant is arrested and has been detained for over three weeks. It is unlawful.”
Michael had initially reported to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Special Investigation Unit (SIU) that his staff member, Abayomi Segun Olusesan, had hacked into the company’s system and misappropriated $87 million in investor funds. While Oluwasesan admitted to the hacking, he disputed the amount involved. A forfeiture agreement between the parties resulted in the recovery of some assets from Oluwasesan.
However, the police investigation took a different turn when it was revealed that investors had been unable to access their funds or promised returns from AAS for over 18 months.
This prompted a preliminary investigation into the company’s operations.
Police Public Relations Officer Adejobi Olumuyiwa explained that Michael was detained because he failed to provide verifiable medical records, evidence of legitimate trading practices, and a viable repayment plan for the affected investors.
The police also refuted Michael’s claims of harassment, asserting that the actual victims are the investors who entrusted their money to AAS.
Despite Oluwasesan’s admission to the hacking, the NDYC questions why he is not in custody while Michael remains detained. Ekamon further alleged that Oluwasesan is “walking free and even parading armed police escort despite the evidence of his crimes as displayed by his lavish lifestyle,” raising concerns about potential bias in the investigation.
“The group call on the IGP to look into the matter seriously. Ekamon claimed that the police seems to be having a bias in the matter.”
Ekamon also stated that Michael’s health is deteriorating and that he was on his way abroad for medical treatment when he was arrested at Murtala Mohammed Airport.
The NDYC is demanding that Michael be either granted bail or charged to court, as required by law, instead of being held in detention, which they claim is jeopardizing his health. “He affirmed that the Youths and the people of Niger Delta worldwide will not sit and fold their hands on this injustice.”
The police investigation is ongoing, and they are encouraging affected investors to submit their investment records and documentation.
A Nigerian national, James Junior Aliyu, has been sentenced to 90 months (seven and a half years) in prison in the United States for his involvement in a large-scale wire fraud and money laundering scheme.
According to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Aliyu played a key role in a transnational cybercrime network that targeted business email systems and defrauded individuals and organisations of millions of dollars.
Investigations revealed that the fraud scheme involved hacking into corporate email accounts and using them to divert funds through fraudulent transactions. Authorities said the operation affected multiple victims and formed part of a broader business email compromise (BEC) conspiracy.
Aliyu was arrested in South Africa in 2022 following an international investigation involving Interpol and local law enforcement before being extradited to the United States to face trial.
The 30-year-old later pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. As part of the sentence, the court ordered him to forfeit $1.2 million and pay $2.4 million in restitution to victims.
Authorities also confirmed that Aliyu will be deported after completing his prison term.
Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested a suspected gunrunner, Kelvin Ebikeniye Dugo, in Cross River State, intercepting a cache of 850 rounds of live ammunition.
The arrest, which took place on March 16 at Ivara Esu Estate in Odukpani Local Government Area, followed credible intelligence on the suspect’s alleged plan to acquire the ammunition.
Security sources said Dugo was apprehended shortly after receiving the consignment, which had been concealed inside food items. The ammunition was reportedly supplied by another suspected gunrunner, Azenda Barnabas, also known as Jagaban, based in Aliade, Benue State.
Items recovered during the operation included 850 rounds of live ammunition and two empty AK-47 magazines.
The sources noted that the DSS has stepped up operations nationwide in a bid to dismantle gunrunning networks and curb the proliferation of illegal arms.
They added that the latest arrest underscores the agency’s ongoing commitment to tracking down and prosecuting individuals involved in arms trafficking across the country.
Crime
NDLEA Arrests 74-Year-Old Man with 11kg Cocaine at Abuja Airport, Seizes Large Drug Consignments in Nationwide Raids
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 74-year-old man, Ikwuakalom Emeka, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja after officers discovered a large consignment of cocaine concealed in his luggage.
NDLEA operatives intercepted the suspect at the departure hall while he was attempting to board a British Airways flight to London, United Kingdom for what he claimed was a vacation.
According to NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, a search of the suspect’s luggage uncovered 11 kilograms of cocaine hidden inside food items such as ground dry pepper. The drugs were carefully wrapped in foil papers and balloons to evade detection.
Lagos Island Drug Raids
In a separate operation in Lagos, NDLEA operatives acting on credible intelligence arrested Maryam Olalowo at Ikad Hotel and Suites while she allegedly attempted to sell 89 grams of cocaine and 20 grams of Canadian Loud, a strain of cannabis.
She was reportedly with her three children, including an infant, at the time of the arrest. During interrogation, she said the drugs belonged to her husband, Ibrahim Olalowo Olatunji, who was later arrested the same day.
Investigations revealed that Olatunji had previously been arrested, convicted and sentenced to two and a half years imprisonment in 2015 for a similar offence.
Codeine and Tramadol Interceptions
NDLEA operatives also arrested Kalilou Simpara and Saidu Ibrahim at Ebetu Ero, where 68,000 pills of tramadol were recovered from a truck that was being prepared for transportation to Benin Republic.
A follow-up operation at Idumota Market led to the arrest of the alleged owner of the consignment, Nnamdi Cyprian. NDLEA officers also recovered a parcel containing 1,000 tablets of tramadol (250mg) that had already been prepared for waybill delivery.
In another raid at the same market on March 13, operatives arrested Nwanosike Kelvin and recovered 47,500 ampoules of pentazocine injection from his shop.
Other Arrests Across Nigeria
In Kano, NDLEA officers arrested Magaji Dan Azumi, 42, in the Bebeji area with 386 kilograms of skunk.
Similarly, operatives in Gwagwalada recovered 282.2 kilograms of skunk from a suspect identified as Isah Wako.
In Edo State, NDLEA said its operatives raided the Egwa Forest Reserve in Aduan village, where Chinedo Odalonu was arrested. Officers also destroyed large cannabis farms in the forest and recovered 16.5 kilograms of skunk from the site.
The NDLEA said the operations form part of its ongoing nationwide crackdown on drug trafficking and abuse.