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Three Ghanaian nationals extradited to US in $100m online fraud case

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Three Ghanaian nationals accused of orchestrating a $100 million online fraud scheme targeting U.S. businesses and vulnerable Americans have been extradited to New York, federal prosecutors announced Friday.

Isaac Oduro Boateng, a/k/a “Kofi Boat,” Inusah Ahmed, a/k/a “Pascal,” and Derrick Van Yeboah, a/k/a “Van,” arrived in New York on August 7 after being extradited from Ghana.

They are scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Lehrburger. A fourth defendant, Patrick Kwame Asare, a/k/a “Borgar,” remains at large.

According a post on the FBI website on Friday

“As alleged, Isaac Oduro Boateng, Inusah Ahmed, Derrick van Yeboah, and Patrick Kwame Asare led and participated in an international fraud ring that engaged in a massive conspiracy to defraud vulnerable people and steal from businesses,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton.

“Offshore scammers should know that we, the FBI, and our law enforcement partners will work around the world to combat online fraud and bring perpetrators to justice.”

All these are detailed in a press release dated August 8, 2025, on the United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York.

FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia said, “Deceiving businesses using email compromise campaigns and tricking innocent elderly victims through fraudulent companionship in order to exploit their trust and finances is not merely appalling but illegal.

“The FBI will continue to ensure anyone who preys on companies and vulnerable Americans online is made to face the criminal justice system.”

Prosecutors say the defendants held senior positions in a Ghana-based network that posed as romantic partners to older victims and used fraudulent emails to trick companies into wiring funds.

After securing the money, the proceeds were allegedly laundered through West Africa, often directed by “chairmen” such as Boateng and Ahmed.

All four defendants face multiple federal charges, including wire fraud, money laundering, and receiving stolen funds, with each wire fraud count carrying a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

The case is being handled by the Southern District of New York’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit.

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Crime

Tackle vandalism with innovation, NSCDC FCT urges officers

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The Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Federal Capital Territory Command, Dr. Olusola Odumosu, has called on newly trained personnel to take the fight against vandalism and infrastructure sabotage more seriously, urging them to apply the tactical skills acquired during their just-concluded training.

Speaking on Monday at the passing out ceremony of 174 personnel who participated in a joint tactical capacity-building programme with the Nigerian Army Headquarters Garrison, Odumosu challenged the officers to bring visible change to security operations in the Federal Capital Territory.

“I charge you to go forth as worthy ambassadors of this Command, embodying discipline, excellence, and tactical operational efficiency in winning the trust of Nigerians and bringing to an end, the menace of vandalism of public infrastructure such as the streetlights, manhole covers, crash barriers, armoured cables, power and communication installations and a host of other assets in the FCT,” he said.

The training, which was themed “Enhancing Tactical Efficiency Through Modern Security Tools,” was aimed at equipping NSCDC personnel with skills to handle contemporary security threats.

Odumosu stressed that the threats facing the country — from banditry and kidnapping to cyber intrusions and drone-enabled crimes — demand more than just traditional methods of policing.

“The theme of this training is both apt and timely. It speaks directly to the urgent realities of modern-day security challenges confronting our dear nation and the urgent need to combat them, head-on,” he said.

He added that modern challenges require not only commitment and courage but also the use of advanced tools and up-to-date tactical knowledge.

“The skills acquired through this training will translate into stronger surveillance capacity, quicker response times, and improved protection of assets vital to our economic and social well-being,” he noted.

Odumosu praised the discipline and dedication of the participants, noting that their completion of the course is a sign of their readiness for higher responsibilities.

“By successfully completing this programme, you have demonstrated your readiness to adapt to new challenges and embrace innovation in service delivery,” he said.

He also told the officers that their training should not stop with them, urging them to share the knowledge with colleagues across the command.

“You are now custodians of specialised knowledge, and it is expected that you apply it with professionalism, discipline, and a strong sense of duty. You must also serve as multipliers of knowledge, cascading the training to your colleagues so that we can strengthen the operational capability of the corps as a whole.”

The commandant expressed confidence that the training would yield practical results, including an increase in arrests of vandals and a reduction in infrastructure-related crimes across the territory.

“I assure you that this unique training would be a catalyst for drastic reductions in reported cases of vandalism, theft of public infrastructure, and a surge in the arrests of vandals and other criminal elements within the FCT and its environs,” he said.

While commending the Nigerian Army for its role in the training, Odumosu described the collaboration as a model of inter-agency cooperation.

He also thanked the NSCDC Commandant General, Prof. Ahmed Audi, for supporting the FCT command’s capacity development initiatives.

Just last month, the NSCDC FCT Command apprehended a truck suspected of transporting vandalised streetlight poles out of the city.

The vehicle, loaded with the items, was intercepted by the Command’s Critical National Assets and Infrastructure crack team during a routine 24-hour patrol around the Jabi area.

The truck, reportedly headed to Kano, was flagged down by officers, but the driver and his assistant fled the scene, abandoning the vehicle. The suspicious contents were later confirmed to be vandalised infrastructure, prompting the command to impound and tow the truck for further investigation.

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Crime

PHOTOS: Bandits ambush security operatives in Katsina, k!ll 8 and burn patrol vehicles

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Suspected bandits have ambushed operatives of the C-Watch security outfit in Dandume Local Government Area of Katsina State, k!lling eight persons and setting two patrol vehicles ablaze.

The incident happened late Friday night, September 5, 2025 when gunmen invaded Magaji Wando village in Dandume around midnight.

Residents said C-Watch operatives responded to a distress call and rescued eight villagers who had earlier sustained gunshot injuries during the attack.

However, on their way back, the operatives reportedly ran into an ambush by the bandits, who opened fire on them, k!lling the rescued victims and burning two patrol vehicles belonging to the security outfit.

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Crime

Nigerian Man, Oliver Ugwu Arrested For Duping Indian Woman Of N9m On Pretext Of Marriage

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Police have arrested a Nigerian citizen who had allegedly duped a woman from Ilkal town in Bagalkot district, Karnataka, India of Rs 5.5 lakh on the pretext of marriage.

Bagalkot SP Siddarth Goel said that Oliver Ugwu Okechukwu, 47, was arrested by Bagalkot CEN police in Mumbai on Thursday, September 4, 2025.

Oliver, who stays in Mumbai’s Shivaji Nagar Bonkode Ganv, Khairane Thane, used to contact women after taking their details from the matrimony sites and cheat them.

He had befriended a woman (a divorcee seeking to remarry) from Ilkal who had uploaded her details on a matrimony site.

Introducing himself as Satya Amit, residing in London, Oliver promised to marry her.

About a year-and-a-half ago, Oliver called the woman saying he had arrived in India and the customs officers at the airport had seized the US dollars worth Rs 1 crore.

He sought her help, saying he needed Rs 5.5 lakh to get the seized amount back.

He also gave her a bank account number to credit the amount. Trusting him, the woman transferred the amount through RTGS to that account.

After this transaction, Oliver allegedly stopped contacting the woman. Realising that she had been cheated, the woman lodged a complaint with cybercrime police in Bagalkot.

SP Siddarth said police investigation had revealed that Oliver was operating through the account on a fake name.

On tracking his other transactions done through Phone Pay and Google Pay, police came to know that he was in Mumbai’s Uppar Khairana police limits.

Checking the CCTV footage at the shops where he had done transactions helped police identify him, the SP explained.

Police have seized four cellphones, a laptop, and a passport.

Oliver was produced before the court, which sent him to judicial custody.

Additional SP Mahanteshwar Jiddi, DSP Girish Bhojannavar and SI Rudrayya Hiremath were part of the team that cracked the case.

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