BENIN CITY, NIGERIA — Operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Edo State Command, have apprehended a 24-year-old man in connection with a sophisticated online car purchase scam totaling over N3 million.
The Edo State Commandant of the corps, Mr. Saidi Akintayo, paraded the suspect during a press briefing in Benin City on Monday.
The breakthrough followed an official complaint lodged on February 3 by a Benin resident, Olanrewaju Nurudeen. According to authorities, the victim had attempted to purchase a 2010 Toyota Corolla via a United States-based vehicle auction website. Unbeknownst to the buyer, cyber-fraudsters had compromised the digital platform, redirecting him to pay the funds into a local bank account.
“The complainant unknowingly transferred N3,005,000 into an Access Bank account belonging to one Oluwafunmilayo Olubode, after the online platform was allegedly compromised by fraudsters,” Akintayo explained.
Following the report, the NSCDC investigative team secured a federal court order to lift bank secrecy protections and analyze the financial trails linked to the transaction.
The digital trail led detectives directly to the arrest of Momoh Rabiu, a resident of Auchi in the Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State.
During interrogation, the suspect confessed to his role in the syndicate, admitting that he allowed his personal banking infrastructure to be used to funnel the stolen cash.
Commandant Akintayo confirmed that tactical teams are actively trailing the primary suspect, “Destiny Money,” while Rabiu remains in custody. “At the conclusion of our investigation, the suspect will be charged to court,” the Commandant stated, reaffirming the NSCDC’s hardline stance against escalating local cyber-syndicates.
Journalist’s Note / Safety Insight: Cyber-analysts warn that local fraudsters frequently target international auction platforms using phishing pages or intercepted email communications to spoof bank details, convincing buyers that they are dealing with verified overseas clearing agents.