The Nigeria Police Force has arrested 82 suspects linked to financial and cybercrimes in a sweeping January 2025 operation, with controversial dancer Idowu Smart Emmanuel, widely known as Lil Smart, emerging as a high-profile figure in the crackdown.
Lil Smart, a dancer and social media personality, gained notoriety in late 2024 after publicly accusing musicians Naira Marley and Zinoleesky of bullying, assault, and threats to his life.
His allegations, which he claimed were backed by evidence, sparked widespread outrage and calls for justice. However, in a dramatic twist, the police revealed that Lil Smart was among those apprehended in January for criminal defamation, cyberstalking, and spreading falsehoods.
According to Force spokesperson ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, Lil Smart confessed to fabricating the allegations against the artists during interrogation.
The arrests, announced during a press briefing on February 6 2025, at the National Cybercrime Centre (NCCC), underscore the police’s intensified efforts to combat cyber-related offenses and restore Nigeria’s global reputation amid its inclusion on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Grey List.
The NCCC’s operation targeted a range of offenses, including romance scams, identity theft, and transnational fraud.
Adejobi said, “Among these cases is the arrest of two individuals, Saidu Adam Usman ‘m’, and Yusuf Umar ‘m’, in connection with the creation and distribution of compromised financial accounts used to facilitate fraudulent transactions amounting to over four hundred million naira (₦400 million). The suspects created Moniepoint profiles using pre-registered SIM cards and email addresses and then distributed to local accomplices across different states for KYC verification, fraudulently obtaining Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs) and KYC details from individuals. Upon completion of the KYC process, the suspects would change the passwords to secure them for their unknown foreign contractor. “
He continued, “Another significant arrest is that of one Rabiu Aliyu Salisu AKA Rabo, involved in identity theft, computer-related fraud, and money laundering. The suspect had fraudulently assumed the identity of an American citizen, presenting himself as Matthew Ramsey, and defrauded one Deborah Woods, an American national, of $597,000. Following a filed petition for criminal defamation, cyberstalking, cyberbullying, and falsehood, the Force also secured the arrest of one Idowu Smart Emmanuel, who eventually admitted to his crimes and confessed that his allegations were false.”
IGP, Kayode Egbetokun reiterated the Force’s commitment to dismantling cybercrime networks, linking the crackdown to Nigeria’s bid to exit the FATF Grey List.
The operation aligns with recent reforms, including the retirement of senior officers implicated in misconduct, as the police seek to rebuild public trust.
