Police, FBI, US Secret Service Arrest Three Cyber Fraud Suspects in Nigeria

The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF–NCCC), in collaboration with the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the US Secret Service, has arrested three suspected high-profile internet fraudsters in Lagos and Edo states.

The suspects were allegedly involved in targeted cyber-attacks against the email systems of major corporate organisations, mostly within Nigeria, using sophisticated phishing techniques.

The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed the arrests in a statement on Thursday. He explained that the suspects carried out the crimes through the deployment of phishing links and malicious software designed to compromise corporate email platforms.

According to the statement, the arrests followed credible and actionable intelligence received from Microsoft Corporation and the FBI, which uncovered the use of a sophisticated phishing toolkit known as RaccoonO365. The toolkit was reportedly designed to create fraudulent Microsoft login portals aimed at harvesting user credentials and unlawfully accessing email systems belonging to corporate, financial, and educational institutions.

Hundeyin said the NPF–NCCC subsequently launched a coordinated, intelligence-driven operation in partnership with Microsoft, the FBI, and the US Secret Service. Investigations traced multiple incidents of unauthorised access to Microsoft 365 accounts between January and September 2025 to phishing emails crafted to closely resemble legitimate Microsoft authentication pages.

“These activities resulted in business email compromise, data breaches, and significant financial losses across multiple jurisdictions,” the police spokesman said.

He added that operatives were deployed to Lagos and Edo states based on precise intelligence, leading to the arrest of three suspects. Searches conducted at their residences resulted in the recovery of laptops, mobile phones, and other digital devices, which forensic analysis linked to the fraudulent activities.

Further investigations identified Okitipi Samuel, also known as “RaccoonO365” and “Moses Felix,” as the principal suspect and alleged developer of the phishing infrastructure. Police said he operated a Telegram channel where phishing links were sold in exchange for cryptocurrency and hosted fraudulent login portals on Cloudflare using stolen or fraudulently obtained email credentials.

However, investigators noted that there was no evidence linking the two other arrested individuals to the creation or operation of the phishing toolkit.

The Nigeria Police Force reaffirmed its commitment to protecting Nigeria’s digital space, stressing that it would continue to deploy advanced technology, strengthen international partnerships, and pursue diligent investigative and prosecutorial processes to effectively combat evolving cyber threats.