NEWS
Nigerian Man Arraigned in Ghana Over Alleged Transnational Cyber Fraud Linked to FBI, INTERPOL Probe
A coordinated international cybercrime investigation involving the Ghana Cyber Security Authority (CSA), the Ghana Police Service, the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), and the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has resulted in the arrest and prosecution of a Nigerian national over his alleged involvement in a sophisticated transnational cyber-enabled financial crime syndicate linked to compromised United States bank cards.
The operation marks a significant breakthrough in the global fight against cross-border cybercrime and financial fraud, following months of intelligence gathering, surveillance, and joint investigations aimed at dismantling an international criminal network believed to have targeted foreign banking systems.
The suspect, Aderinsola Oluwanifemi Adeleye, a Nigerian national residing at Oyarifa in Accra and reportedly engaged in the cement block manufacturing business, has been arraigned before a Ghanaian court over alleged fraudulent Point of Sale (POS) transactions carried out at several fuel stations across the country.
Investigations into the case began on June 25, 2026, after the manager of Haatso Shell Filling Station reported a complaint received by Shell Headquarters from Ecobank Ghana PLC concerning suspicious POS transactions involving two Citibank debit cards issued in the United States.
Investigators traced the unauthorized transactions to POS terminals located at Haatso Shell Filling Station and Osu Total Filling Station. Internal investigations by Shell Ghana subsequently identified two fuel pump attendants suspected of facilitating the fraudulent transactions.
Following their arrest, the attendants allegedly informed investigators that the accused, alongside another accomplice who remains at large, had repeatedly visited the filling station and used Citibank debit cards through mobile devices to process fraudulent transactions.
Later that same day, at approximately 8:00 p.m., the accused allegedly returned to Haatso Shell Filling Station to carry out another transaction using one of the Citibank debit cards. He was reportedly recognized by the two attendants as the individual previously involved in the alleged fraudulent activities and was immediately arrested by the police.
A search conducted at the time of his arrest reportedly led to the recovery of a Beretta pistol loaded with two rounds of 9mm live ammunition, as well as a Citibank Visa debit card bearing the number 5262 2611 2797 4764.
Investigators later extended their search to the offices of AA Global Homes Construction Limited at Katamanso in Accra, where they recovered 15 rounds of live 9mm ammunition and one empty 9mm shell casing concealed inside a drawer. The recovered items have been retained as exhibits while investigations into their possession and possible use continue.
Authorities disclosed that the accused had already become a person of significant investigative interest to the Cyber Security Authority before his arrest due to intelligence linking him to suspected cyber-enabled financial crimes.
Based on intelligence gathered during the investigation, the Ghana Police Service, in collaboration with the Cyber Security Authority, secured a court-issued search warrant for the accused’s residence at Oyarifa.
The search, executed on June 27, 2026, resulted in the recovery of several electronic devices, including two mobile phones believed to have been used in the commission of the alleged offences. The devices have been retained for forensic examination to determine their evidential value and establish the full scope of the suspect’s alleged criminal activities.
During police investigations, the accused reportedly admitted using the recovered Citibank debit card to conduct transactions at both Haatso Shell Filling Station and Osu Total Filling Station.
He allegedly told investigators that an individual identified as Gail Oneara, whom he claimed resides in the United States, had sent him the debit card with an available balance of approximately 10,000 US dollars for his personal use.
According to investigators, the accused stated that he had already spent or withdrawn about 8,000 US dollars before his arrest.
Investigations later extended to Ecobank Ghana PLC, where officials from the bank’s Internal Audit Department Investigation Unit reportedly confirmed that Citibank, through Visa International, had lodged a fraud complaint regarding unauthorized transactions carried out on two customers’ debit cards.
Further investigations allegedly established that the accused, together with accomplices still at large, visited several fuel stations, including Haatso Shell and Osu Total, where they allegedly connived with fuel pump attendants to process fictitious fuel purchases using stolen or compromised Citibank debit cards.
According to investigators, once the fraudulent transactions were successfully approved through the POS terminals, the accused allegedly received cash equivalent to the value of the fake fuel purchases instead of taking fuel, thereby dishonestly obtaining proceeds from the unauthorized transactions.
Law enforcement authorities also believe the suspect invested proceeds of the alleged fraud in acquiring significant assets, including a four-bedroom storey building, a cement block manufacturing factory at Katamanso near Amrahia, a black Nissan ZNA pickup vehicle, and other properties reasonably suspected to have been purchased with proceeds of crime.
Investigators are continuing efforts to identify and apprehend other members of the suspected criminal syndicate, trace additional assets believed to have been acquired through illicit proceeds, and determine the full extent of the alleged fraudulent activities.
Authorities added that forensic examination of the electronic devices recovered during the searches is expected to provide further evidence regarding the operations of the suspected syndicate and uncover possible international connections.
The accused has since been formally charged and arraigned before the appropriate court in Ghana, where the matter is currently pending before the court.