News

A major intelligence-led cybercrime investigation involving the Cyber Security Authority (CSA), the Ghana Police Service and international law enforcement partners has culminated in the arrest and prosecution of a Nigerian national who had become a person of significant investigative interest to both the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) over suspected transnational cyber-enabled financial crimes linked to compromised United States banking cards.

The operation followed months of intelligence gathering and coordinated investigations aimed at dismantling an international financial crime network.

The accused, Aderinsola Oluwanifemi Adeleye, a Nigerian national who operates a cement block manufacturing business and resides at Oyarifa in Accra, has been arraigned before court following extensive investigations into fraudulent Point of Sale (POS) transactions conducted across multiple fuel stations in Ghana.

During the operation, officers discovered fifteen rounds of live 9mm ammunition together with one empty 9mm shell casing concealed inside a drawer within the accused's office.

Investigators disclosed that the accused had already come under the intelligence radar of the Cyber Security Authority prior to his arrest in connection with suspected cyber-enabled financial crimes.

During the search in the accused’s residence, investigators recovered several electronic devices, including the accused's two personal mobile phones believed to have been used in the commissioning of the alleged offences.

The investigation further revealed that the accused allegedly invested the proceeds of the fraudulent scheme in acquiring substantial assets, including a four-bedroom storey building, a cement block manufacturing factory located at Katamanso near Amrahia, a black Nissan ZNA pick-up vehicle, and other properties.

Law enforcement agencies are continuing investigations to identify and apprehend other members of the criminal network, trace additional assets believed to have been acquired through illicit proceeds, and establish the full extent of the fraudulent transactions.

Authorities say forensic examination of the electronic devices recovered during the searches is expected to provide further evidence regarding the activities of the syndicate and any possible international links.

The accused has since been formally charged and brought before the appropriate court, where the matter is currently before the judiciary.

The case highlights the increasing sophistication of cyber-enabled financial crimes and underscores the importance of intelligence-driven investigations, inter-agency collaboration, and international law enforcement cooperation in combating transnational cybercrime affecting Ghana's financial sector.