How Police Cybercrime Unit Recovered Billions and Arrested Hundreds in 40-Month Crackdown
Nigeria’s battle against cybercrime has intensified over the past 40 months, with the Nigeria Police Force recording major breakthroughs through its Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC).
The progress began to take shape under former Inspector-General of Police Usman Baba, who pushed for the restructuring of the cybercrime unit to improve its effectiveness in tackling online fraud and digital crimes across the country.
In November 2022, Uche Henry was appointed director of the unit while serving as a Deputy Commissioner of Police. At the time, Nigeria’s cyberspace was plagued by cryptocurrency fraud, romance scams, sextortion, cyberstalking, and other internet-related crimes. He was later promoted to Commissioner of Police to strengthen the force’s nationwide cyber-investigation capabilities.
By the end of 2022, the cybercrime centre had made several arrests linked to international fraud syndicates operating in Nigeria. The unit also expanded its collaboration with global agencies such as INTERPOL and other foreign cybercrime and financial intelligence bodies.
Patricia Technologies Hack
In 2023, the cybercrime centre intensified its crackdown on identity theft networks, phishing rings and investment fraud schemes. Investigators used advanced technology to monitor cryptocurrency wallets used to launder stolen funds.
One of the major breakthroughs came after the recovery of about N607 million in digital assets stolen from Patricia Technologies, a cryptocurrency trading platform.
The forensic blockchain investigation eventually linked the theft to Wilfred Bronse, a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly. He was arrested in July 2023 for allegedly conspiring to divert cryptocurrency assets from the platform and converting them for personal gain.
Major Operations in 2024
Two years after Henry’s appointment, the unit uncovered a large cybercrime operation in Jabi, Abuja. During the raid, authorities arrested 113 Chinese nationals and 17 Nigerians.
Investigators recovered high-capacity servers, laptops, mobile phones and communication devices believed to have been used for online marketing scams, computer-related fraud and money laundering.
Officials said the operation highlighted how foreign criminals were increasingly exploiting Nigeria’s cyberspace. According to the World Cybercrime Index rankings released in 2024, Nigeria placed fifth among 100 countries most associated with cybercrime, behind Russia, Ukraine, China and the United States.
By the end of 2024, the cybercrime centre disclosed that it had recovered more than N8.8 billion, 115,237.91 USDT and $84,000 linked to cybercrime activities within the year.
The unit also reported 751 arrests, 508 cybercrime investigations, 14 convictions and the dismantling of 5,049 malicious online domains. Its achievements earned it recognition from INTERPOL as Africa’s Best Cybercrime Unit for 2024.
Crackdown Intensifies in 2025
Operations expanded further in 2025, targeting transactional oil fraud, fake foreign exchange deals and compromised financial accounts.
One major investigation led to the dismantling of a fraud network operating across Nigeria, China and the United States. The suspects allegedly forged crude oil sales documents connected to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) in a $4 million scam that targeted foreign oil traders.
Authorities said the group convinced international companies to transfer money for crude oil shipments that never existed. During the investigation, officers recovered $610,000 in suspected proceeds, $1.15 million obtained through fraudulent contracts, N55 million in cash and assets worth N370 million.
Other cases handled in 2025 included an $86,000 phishing attack targeting the cryptocurrency platform Binance, a N234 million forex fraud involving a hacked offshore corporate account, a $597,000 identity-theft romance scam and over N400 million linked to compromised bank accounts created using fake verified Moniepoint accounts.
Recent Developments
Although the full operational report for 2025 is yet to be released, Henry—now promoted to Assistant Inspector-General of Police—continues to lead efforts to secure Nigeria’s digital space.
In January 2026, the cybercrime unit arrested six suspects accused of diverting telecom airtime and data belonging to a Nigerian telecommunications firm in a fraud estimated at over N7.7 billion.
The centre also launched an online public awareness campaign titled “Real Odogwu No Dey Hide Face,” aimed at encouraging Nigerians to practise safer and more responsible internet behaviour.
The achievements of the cybercrime unit have drawn international recognition. In its 2025 report on cybercrime in Nigeria, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) commended the centre for strengthening cybersecurity enforcement in the country.
Henry, a specialist in criminal intelligence and digital forensics, has chaired the African Working Group on Cybercrime since 2024 and is also a member of the INTERPOL Cybercrime Advisory Body and the Association of Cybercrime Specialists.
Despite the progress made, officials say the fight against cybercrime remains ongoing as authorities continue to track emerging digital threats across Nigeria’s rapidly expanding online space.
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