Canadian arrested over $210,000 investment scam as Police nab Nigerian lady for distributing nud£ photos, others

Two individuals — a Canadian national and a Nigerian — have been apprehended by the Nigeria Police Force in connection with a series of cyber and financial frauds, including a $210,000 investment swindle and a N452 million deception involving a fake charity.

According to a statement issued  by Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, on Tuesday , the arrests were executed in separate operations led by the INTERPOL National Central Bureau in Abuja.

The Canadian suspect, Robert Harms, was taken into custody over his alleged role in a fraudulent investment pitch made to Tepison Enterprises, an Akwa Ibom-based company. Police investigations revealed that Harms came into contact with the company through a Polaris Bank account officer in June 2023.

He is said to have persuaded the firm to commit $210,000 to a purported Waste-to-Energy Project in Canada, promising a $30,000 return within a month.

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

Further probing revealed that Harms allegedly forged a “Project Bridge Loan Agreement” and funneled the money through a Bureau de Change in Abuja to an offshore account in Dubai. He also reportedly misrepresented his association with VDQ-NRG Systems Limited.

“Further inquiries confirmed that Harms had no legitimate affiliation with VDQ-NRG Systems Limited,” the statement said.

Harms was intercepted at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on February 7, 2025, while allegedly attempting to flee to Canada. He has since confessed to receiving the funds and breaching the terms of the investment.

Following the filing of criminal charges on April 22, he was arraigned at the Federal High Court in Uyo on May 9, 2025. The court has ordered his remand at the Uyo Custodial Centre, with the matter adjourned to May 20.

In a separate operation, INTERPOL re-arrested Nigerian national Ms. Okeke Njaka, who had previously been declared wanted over a string of cyber-related crimes and financial fraud.

Njaka was originally arrested in Anambra on January 4, 2025, for alleged cyberstalking, cyberbullying, and fraudulently obtaining money. She was later released on bail but failed to appear in court and went into hiding.
“Investigations revealed Njaka’s active involvement in cyberstalking and cyberbullying through multiple social media platforms, where she maliciously distributed nude photos and videos of her victims,” the police said.
Her name had appeared in a Special Police Gazette Bulletin in 2021. She was tracked down and taken into custody again in Abuja on May 8, 2025. Njaka is expected to be arraigned before the Federal High Court on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, the statement said.

Authorities also disclosed that her organisation, Ogechi Helping Hands Foundation, is under investigation for allegedly deceiving the public through a bogus medical assistance program, which reportedly defrauded Nigerians of N452,821,982.

The foundation and its alleged collaborators, Emeka Ezeogbo and the Tolotolo Family Foundation, are being prosecuted before the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Reiterating the Police Force’s commitment to fighting financial and cyber crimes, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, urged Nigerians to remain vigilant in their international business engagements.
“The Nigeria Police Force under the leadership of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun Ph.D, NPM once again emphasises its unyielding resolve to combatting all forms of transnational financial crimes and urges members of the public to exercise utmost caution and due diligence before entering into high-value international agreements and to promptly report any suspicious activity to law enforcement agencies,” the statement read.
Authorities encouraged the public to exercise due diligence and report any suspicious financial activities without delay.