An intelligence-driven operation by the Cyber Security Authority (CSA), working jointly with the Ghana Police Service and supported by international law enforcement agencies, has resulted in the arrest and prosecution of a Nigerian national alleged to be linked to an international cyber-enabled financial crime syndicate operating in Ghana.

The suspect, Aderinsola Oluwanifemi Adeleye, had reportedly 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 alleged transnational financial crimes involving compromised United States-issued bank cards.

Security officials described the arrest as a major breakthrough in ongoing efforts to combat increasingly sophisticated cross-border cybercrime and financial fraud targeting international banking systems.

The operation followed months of intelligence gathering, surveillance and coordinated investigations spearheaded by the Cyber Security Authority in collaboration with the Ghana Police Service, with investigative support and information sharing from INTERPOL and the FBI aimed at dismantling an international cybercrime network.

Fraud investigation

The accused, who operates a cement block manufacturing business and resides at Oyarifa in Accra, has since been arraigned before court over his alleged involvement in fraudulent Point of Sale (POS) transactions carried out at a number of fuel stations in the country.

Investigations began on June 25, 2026, after the manager of the Haatso Shell Filling Station lodged a complaint with the police following information from Shell Headquarters that Ecobank Ghana PLC had reported suspicious POS transactions involving two Citibank debit cards issued in the United States.

Preliminary investigations traced the disputed transactions to POS terminals at Haatso Shell Filling Station and Osu Total Filling Station.

Subsequent internal investigations by Shell Ghana identified two fuel pump attendants suspected to have facilitated the fraudulent transactions.

Arrest

The two attendants were arrested and, during interrogation, allegedly informed investigators that the accused and another accomplice had repeatedly visited the Haatso Shell Filling Station to conduct fraudulent POS transactions using Citibank debit cards through mobile devices.

Later that evening, at about 8 p.m., the suspect allegedly returned to the station to undertake another transaction using one of the same debit cards.

He was immediately recognised by the two attendants and arrested by police officers.

A search conducted after his arrest led to the recovery of a Beretta pistol loaded with two rounds of 9mm live ammunition, together with a Citibank VISA debit card bearing the number 5262 2611 2797 4764.

Further searches

Investigators later searched the offices of AA Global Homes Construction Limited at Katamanso in Accra, where they discovered 15 rounds of live 9mm ammunition and an empty 9mm shell casing concealed inside a drawer.

The ammunition and shell casing have been retained as exhibits while investigations continue into their possession and possible use.

According to investigators, the suspect had already been under the intelligence watch of the Cyber Security Authority in connection with suspected cyber-enabled financial crimes before his arrest.

Acting on intelligence gathered during the investigation, the Ghana Police Service, in collaboration with the Cyber Security Authority, obtained a court-issued search warrant to search the suspect's residence at Oyarifa.

The search, executed on June 27, 2026, resulted in the retrieval of several electronic devices, including two personal 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 extent of the suspect's alleged involvement in the criminal enterprise.

Admission

Investigators said the accused admitted during questioning that he had used the recovered Citibank debit card to conduct transactions at both the Haatso Shell and Osu Total filling stations.

In his cautioned statement, he allegedly told investigators that a person identified as Gail Oneara, whom he claimed resides in the United States, sent him the debit card with an available balance of about US$10,000 for his personal use.

He further admitted, according to investigators, that he had withdrawn or utilised approximately US$8,000 before his arrest.

The investigation later extended to Ecobank Ghana PLC, where an officer from the Internal Audit Department's Investigation Unit confirmed that the bank had received a fraud complaint from Citibank through VISA International regarding unauthorised transactions conducted on two Citibank customers' debit cards.

Investigators believe the accused, working with accomplices who are still at large, allegedly visited a number of fuel stations, including Haatso Shell and Osu Total, where he 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 approved through the POS terminals, the suspect allegedly received cash equivalent to the supposed fuel purchases instead of fuel, thereby dishonestly obtaining the proceeds of the fraudulent transactions.

Suspected proceeds of crime

Investigators further alleged that proceeds from the suspected fraud were used to acquire significant assets, including a four-bedroom storey building, a cement block manufacturing factory at Katamanso near Amrahia, a black Nissan ZNA pick-up vehicle, and other properties believed to have been purchased with proceeds of crime.

Law enforcement agencies are continuing investigations to identify and arrest other members of the alleged criminal network, trace additional assets suspected to have been acquired through illicit proceeds and determine the full scale of the fraudulent transactions.

Authorities also indicated that forensic examination of the electronic devices recovered during the searches is expected to provide additional evidence regarding the operations of the suspected syndicate and any international links.

The accused has since been formally charged and is standing trial before the appropriate court.

The case underscores the growing sophistication of cyber-enabled financial crimes and highlights the importance of intelligence-led investigations, inter-agency collaboration and international cooperation in protecting Ghana's financial sector from transnational cybercrime.