The Nigeria Police Force has arrested two high-profile suspects linked to transnational financial crimes, including a $210,000 investment fraud and a ₦452 million charity scam.
The arrests were carried out by operatives of the INTERPOL National Central Bureau in Abuja as part of an intensified operation against cybercrime and financial fraud.
According to a statement issued on Monday by Force Public Relations Officer ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the suspects were identified as Robert Harms, a Canadian national, and Ms. Okeke Ogechi Njaka, a Nigerian. They were apprehended in separate intelligence-led operations.
Harms was arrested 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 that targeted Tepison Enterprises, a company based in Akwa Ibom State. The company had transferred $210,000 after being misled into believing they were investing in a Canadian project. The scam involved fake documents and a Bureau de Change in Abuja used to funnel money to Dubai.
Harms was arraigned at the Federal High Court in Uyo on May 9, 2025, after criminal charges were filed on April 22. The court ordered his remand in Uyo Custodial Centre and adjourned the case to May 20, 2025.
In a separate case, Ms. Okeke Ogechi Njaka was re-arrested on May 8 in Abuja. She had been declared wanted in 2021 for offences including cyberbullying, cyberstalking, obtaining money under false pretences, and criminal breach of trust. Njaka was initially arrested in Anambra State in January but 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 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 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 combatting 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.
