By: Odeh Favour Adiya
The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) has arrested a 39-year-old woman, Urowhe Diana, and her 22-year-old daughter, Rokibat Oluwasheyi Imoru, over their alleged involvement in an international romance scam that reportedly defrauded a Maltese resident of more than ₦18 million.
The development was disclosed on Wednesday in a statement issued in Abuja by the Acting Police Public Liaison Officer of the NPF-NCCC, DSP Unwana Imah.
According to the statement, the arrest followed intelligence received from the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), which flagged suspicious high-volume financial transactions linked to the suspects.
Preliminary investigations by the cybercrime unit reportedly uncovered what police described as a family-run fraud syndicate allegedly coordinated by a Lagos resident, Emmanuel Amanfo, who is Diana’s husband and Rokibat’s stepfather.
Police said Amanfo, who is currently on the run, allegedly collaborated with the 22-year-old suspect to open and operate several bank accounts used to receive proceeds from the scam.
Investigators disclosed that the illicit funds were transferred through money transfer operators and direct deposits into accounts controlled by Rokibat before being moved into an Ecobank account belonging to Diana.
The suspects were said to have used the funds for personal expenses and luxury spending.
The police added that forensic analysis of the suspects’ digital activities and transaction trails directly linked the mother and daughter to the alleged romance scam operation, leading to their arrest.
Meanwhile, efforts are ongoing to apprehend Amanfo and other possible accomplices connected to the syndicate.
The NPF-NCCC stated that investigations were still ongoing and that the suspects would be charged to court upon the conclusion of the probe.
Reaffirming its commitment to combating cybercrime, the centre stressed that the Nigeria Police Force under the leadership of the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, remains determined to sanitize Nigeria’s cyberspace and tackle all forms of digital fraud.
The agency also urged members of the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious online activities through its official reporting channels.
