Four people are reportedly under arrest by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in relation to allegations of sextortion and romance scams.
Abodunrin Rasheed, Abodunrin Tunde, and Abodunrin Rokeeb were identified as three of the suspects by police spokesperson Olumuyiwa Adejobi in a statement on Thursday.
The statement claims that the suspects pretended to be women after meeting a Croatian national on a dating app.
“Their continuous chats progressed to Instagram and WhatsApp leading to an intimate relationship,” Adejobi said
“However, the Croatian was deceived into sending nude pictures of himself through the dating app.
“The suspects subsequently conspired and pressured him to pay ransom or have his pictures sent to his family and friends.”
Adejobi stated that the suspects were captured as a result of an intelligence report from the National Cybercrime Centre (NCCC) and a complaint made through the NPF’s e-reporting portal.
Adejobi stated that among the exhibits found were six iPhones, a Techno phone, a Samsung phone, and a Lexus vehicle.
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“Further investigations revealed that the suspects have previously engaged in numerous similar cybercriminal activities, both collectively and individually, defrauding and extorting numerous victims globally,” the statement added.
“The proceeds of these crimes were primarily received through gift cards like the iTunes gift cards, steam gift cards etc.
“The suspects will be charged in court upon completion of the investigations.”
The parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, Meta, announced in July that it had deleted 63,000 Nigerian accounts that were connected to sextortion schemes.
Two Nigerian brothers who used a sextortion scheme to target a 17-year-old were given a 17 years and six months prison sentence by a US court last month.
The victim, a schoolboy took his own life after the brothers threatened to publish his naked photos.
With sextortion becoming a fast-growing cybercrime frequently associated with Nigeria, the sentencing was the first instance of successful prosecution of Nigerians for the offence in the US.
According to a statement released by Adejobi, Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun advised people to be cautious of questionable internet activity and cautioned cybercriminals to stop.
Egbetokun says the police would impose severe penalties on anyone or any group trying to jeopardize the country’s security and tranquility.
