Romance Scam: How Naija Man Convinced US Lady To Transfer Him $1m

A 20 year old Nigerian man is now being indicted for romance scam and other offences after he fleeced an American Lady of one million dollars.

The suspect, whom the police has identified as Essien Emmanuel Akpama, used a cryptocurrency scheme called “BullRun 2.0,” formerly “4 Way Mirror Money” In executing the deal.

In one instance, he deceived the 47-year-old female victim in the U.S. into transferring the money under the pretext of purchasing property in Florida for an orphanage.

In another, he allegedly defrauded a 70-year-old U.S. victim of N25,709,400 (about $18,000) through purchases of gift cards, high-end mobile devices, and computer equipment, which were shipped to Nigeria following his instruction.

Part of Akpama’s strategy: He posed as a 60-year-old orthopedic surgeon working with the United Nations in Nigeria, claiming the devices were necessary for secure communications with his victims.

Luck has ran out on him as he has now been arrested by the Airport Police Command in Lagos, a statement issued by ASP Mohammed Adeola, Police Public Relations Officer, has said.

His arrest followed months of intelligence-led surveillance and monitoring based on credible information, with preliminary investigations revealing that the suspect previously resided in Calabar.

He however relocated to Lagos on 23rd February 2024, from where he allegedly coordinated and executed several fraudulent schemes.

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“The Nigeria Police Force, Airport Police Command, in its sustained efforts to combat transnational crimes and prevent the use of Nigerian airports as escape routes for criminal elements, has arrested a notorious celebrity scam and romance fraud suspect responsible for defrauding multiple victims in the United States of America of over N1,000,000,000 (one billion naira), which on conversion amounts to over one million United States dollars”, the police statement said.

“The suspect, Essien Emmanuel Akpama, male, aged 20, was arrested on 5th January, 2026, by operatives of the Anti-Fraud Unit of the Airport Police Command while attempting to board a flight out of Lagos State,” the statement added.

A MacBook Pro 14-inch, an iPhone 17 Pro Max, and three Google Pixel devices, collectively valued at N8,141,367 were reportedly recovered from the suspect.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, Airport Police Command, CP Ogunbode Olufunke, has used the opportunity to reaffirm the Command’s commitment to preventing criminal elements from exploiting airport corridors to evade justice.