Police Arrest Canadian, Nigerian Over ₦452m, $210,000 Fraud

Tuesday May 13, 2025 |

The Nigeria Police Force has arrested two high-profile suspects for their alleged roles in a series of cyber and financial crimes, including a $210,000 investment scam and a ₦452 million charity fraud scheme.

Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.

He said the INTERPOL National Central Bureau in Abuja confirmed the arrests of Robert Harms, a Canadian national, and Ms. Okeke Njaka, a Nigerian, in separate operations coordinated by INTERPOL operatives.

Harms was arrested over a fraudulent investment scheme targeting Tepison Enterprises, a company based in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State.

According to the statement, acting on a petition filed by the firm, police investigations revealed that the Canadian was introduced to the company through a Polaris Bank account officer in June 2023.

He was said to have convinced Tepison Enterprises to invest $210,000 in a fake Waste-to-Energy Project in Canada by promising a $30,000 return within four weeks.

“Under this pretence, Tepison Enterprises transferred $210,000 to secure a fabricated ‘capital project bond,’” the police said.

Further investigation showed that Harms had forged a “Project Bridge Loan Agreement” and transferred the funds through a Bureau de Change in Abuja to an account in Dubai.

He also falsely claimed affiliation with VDQ-NRG Systems Limited, a claim denied by the company’s chief executive officer.