Inside Police Digital War After 40 Months Of Cybercrime Crackdown

When the Force Cybercrime Unit recovered over N8.82bn in cybercrime proceeds and arrested 751 suspects in 2024, the vision of the then Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba, likely began to yield significant results.

According to Baba, the Unit required restructuring to strengthen its effectiveness and efficiency, ensuring a firm stance against cyber-related offences in the country.

Appointed as the Unit’s Director in November 2022, Uche Henry, then a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), confronted a nation’s cyberspace riddled with cryptocurrency fraud, online romance scams, sextortion, cyberstalking, and other related crimes.

In the same year, Henry was promoted to the rank of Commissioner of Police, a move aimed at strengthening nationwide cyber-investigation capacity.

By the end of 2022, the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) had recorded multiple arrests across Nigeria linked to international fraud rings.

The NPF-NCCC also enhanced its collaboration with INTERPOL, foreign cybercrime agencies, and financial intelligence units.

Patricia Technologies Hack

By 2023, Henry leveraged these collaborations to wage war against identity theft rings, phishing syndicates, and investment fraud networks.

Using real-time technological tools and programmes, the unit monitored crypto wallets used to launder stolen proceeds, as demonstrated by the recovery of N607m in digital assets stolen from Patricia Technologies.

The theft from the cryptocurrency trading platform exposed its vulnerability in Nigeria at the time and, conversely, revealed the potential to trace crypto theft through blockchain analysis.

This forensic analysis and blockchain tracing led the NPF-NCCC to a lawmaker in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Wilfred Bronse, who was linked to the hack.

By July of the same year, Bronse was arrested for conspiracy to divert cryptocurrency assets from Patricia’s platform and for converting the stolen digital assets for personal benefit.

Major Operational Year Yet

Exactly two years after Henry’s appointment in November 2024, the unit uncovered a hideout in Jabi, Abuja, where 113 Chinese nationals and 17 Nigerians were residing.

The NPF-NCCC reported recovering high-capacity servers, laptops, phones, and communication equipment believed to have been used for computer-related fraud, online marketing scams, and money laundering.

One of the major findings was a suspected case of data intrusion. Henry had described this situation in an interview with THE WHISTLER in 2024 as a contributing factor to Nigeria’s ranking in the 2024 World Cybercrime Index.

Nigeria ranks fifth among 100 countries most notable for cybercrime, after Russia, Ukraine, China, and the United States.

THE WHISTLER quoted Henry as saying the Chinese operation indicated that foreign nationals were utilising the nation’s cyberspace for various cyber fraud activities often credited to Nigeria.

By the end of 2024, the NPF-NCCC announced its most detailed financial disclosure, noting recoveries of over N8.8bn, 115,237.91 USDT, and $84,000 within the year alone.

The unit also reported 751 arrests and prosecutions, 14 convictions secured, 508 cybercrime cases investigated, and 5,049 malicious domains dismantled.

The year ended with the unit’s recognition as the Best Cybercrime Unit in Africa (2024) by INTERPOL.

Progressive Chapter

By 2025, the NPF-NCCC had intensified its operations nationwide, busting transactional oil fraud, fraudulent forex transactions, and compromised financial account schemes, among others.

Notable among these operations was the dismantling of a syndicate whose fraudulent activities spanned Nigeria, China, and the United States and targeted international oil trading companies.

The suspects were found to have forged crude oil sales agreements and official documents linked to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) in an estimated $4m fraud scheme.

They allegedly convinced foreign oil traders to transfer funds for non-existent crude oil transactions.

Following a series of investigations, the Unit said it recovered $610,000 in proceeds linked to one of the suspects, $1,151,495 allegedly obtained through fraudulent sales agreements, N55m in cash, and N370m worth of assets.

By the end of 2025, the Unit had busted several fraudulent operations, including an $86,000 phishing scheme targeting Binance and an estimated N234m forex fraud involving a hacked offshore corporate account.

Other cases included a $597,000 identity theft and romance scam, as well as over N400m in compromised financial accounts involving the creation of verified fake Moniepoint accounts for a foreign cybercriminal who paid in cryptocurrency.

40 Months Later

Although the NPF-NCCC has yet to release a full account of its 2025 operations, its Director, Henry, recently promoted to Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG), continues efforts to sanitise the nation’s cyberspace.

In January 2026, the Unit arrested six suspects involved in the diversion of telecom airtime and data resources belonging to a Nigerian telecommunications company, resulting in an estimated loss of over N7.7bn.

This ongoing cybercrime trend also led to the launch of a recent online awareness campaign titled “Real Odogwu No Dey Hide Face,” aimed at promoting digital security and responsible online behaviour among Nigerians.

While Nigeria’s cyberspace under AIG Henry remains a work in progress, his team’s achievements over the past 40 months have earned commendations from both local and international organisations.

In January 2026, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) acknowledged the NPF-NCCC in its 2025 annual report on cybercrime in Nigeria, praising the unit for its significant contribution to strengthening cybersecurity.

To date, AIG Henry, a specialist in criminal intelligence and forensic investigation, has chaired the Africa Working Group on Cybercrime for Heads of Units since 2024.

Biography
Before this appointment, AIG Henry served as vice-chairman of the Africa Working Group on Cybercrime. The regional body brings together law enforcement agencies across Africa to share knowledge, best practices, and resources in combating cybercrime.

He is a certified Ethical Hacker and Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator from Leru Umuchieze in Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State.

Henry holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communication from Enugu State University and a Master’s Degree in Security and Strategic Studies from Nasarawa State University.

He is also a member of the INTERPOL Cybercrime Advisory Body and the Association of Cybercrime Specialists.