Police Arrest Suspect who ‘Posed as World Bank Official to Defraud Victims’

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has arrested one Agbor Martins Black-Diamond for allegedly posing as an official of the World Bank to defraud unsuspecting victims.

In a statement on Wednesday, Anthony Placid, NPF spokesperson, said the suspect was arrested on March 31, 2026 after intelligence was received from the East Africa Sub-Sahara Africa Safe Promotion Foundation (EA-SSASPF), a non-governmental organisation in Nairobi, Kenya.

Placid said one Julius Kithome and Cynthia Kithome were introduced to Black-Diamond by one Edy Ndeto in Nairobi.

According to the NPF spokesperson, the suspect falsely represented himself as an official of the World Bank and other US-based donor partners.

Placid said the complainants transferred  $250,000 over three years for “purported registration and administrative fees meant to unlock donor funding”.

“No funding was ever secured. Instead, the suspect organized sham symposiums in Nigeria and South Africa,” the statement reads.

“In 2024, he further induced the victims to secure a bank loan against their family property to access a non-existent $850,000 empowerment fund in Ghana.

“Thorough investigation and financial analysis confirmed substantial inflows from the Kenyan victims, including $57,975 between February and July 2023.

“The suspect was arrested on 31st March 2026, and his entity, Black Diamond African Beauty Restoration Foundation, was found unregistered in Nigeria, prompting him to register United African Continent Limited in November 2024 to legitimize his illicit activities.

“Further findings indicate the suspect extended his fraudulent scheme to local farmers in Kuje Area Council, collecting ₦50,000 each under the guise of empowerment and capacity building.”

OTHER ARRESTS

The police also arrested Chinedu Mbachu, a former employee of NewLife Ventures Makurdi, over allegations of “unauthorized modification of computer systems, cybersquatting, and diversion of funds”.

Two suspects — Ayodele Daramola and Dada Babatunde Oluwatobi — were also arrested for “breach of data privacy, business email compromise (BEC), unauthorised access to computer network, and fraud”.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that between May and December 2025, Ayodele Daramola, an employee in the position of Investment Booking, conspired with Dada Babatunde Oluwatobi, a non-staff member, to fraudulently divert company funds,” the statement reads.

“The suspects allegedly siphoned a total sum of ₦85,000,000.00 by exploiting internal systems and channelling the funds through a commercial bank account belonging to Dada Babatunde Oluwatobi.

“From the proceeds, 21% approximately ₦17,850,000.00 was retained by Dada Babatunde, while 79% approximately ₦67,150,000.00 was transferred to an online bank account linked to Ayodele Daramola.

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“Further investigation established that approximately ₦61,000,000.00 received by Ayodele Daramola was expended on online gambling and betting platforms.”