The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre has apprehended a high-profile internet fraud suspect involved in targeted cyberattacks against the email systems of major corporate organisations, using phishing links and malicious software.

The force public relations officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, who disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, said the arrest followed credible and actionable intelligence received from Microsoft Corporation, United States of America, through the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which revealed the use of a sophisticated phishing toolkit known as RaccoonO365. 

“The toolkit was designed to create fraudulent Microsoft login portals aimed at harvesting user credentials and unlawfully accessing the email platforms of corporate, financial, and educational institutions,” Mr Hundeyin stated.

He said the police initiated a coordinated, intelligence-driven operation in collaboration with Microsoft, the FBI, and the U.S. Secret Service.

Mr Hundeyin added, “Investigations traced multiple incidents of unauthorised Microsoft 365 account access between January and September 2025 to phishing emails crafted to closely mimic legitimate Microsoft authentication pages. 

“These activities resulted in business email compromise, data breaches, and financial losses across multiple jurisdictions.”

The police spokesman said that NPF–NCCC operatives, who acted on precise and actionable intelligence, were deployed to Lagos and Edo States, leading to the arrest of three suspects.

Mr Hundeyin said that search operations conducted at their residences resulted in the recovery of laptops, mobile devices, and other digital equipment that had been linked to the fraudulent scheme following forensic analysis.

“Further investigations identified Okitipi Samuel, also known as RaccoonO365, and Moses Felix as the principal suspect and developer of the phishing infrastructure.

“Investigations reveal that he operated a Telegram channel through which phishing links were sold in exchange for cryptocurrency and hosted fraudulent login portals on Cloudflare using stolen or fraudulently obtained email credentials. 

“Notably, investigations revealed no evidence linking the two other arrested individuals to the creation or operation of the phishing scheme,” Mr Hundeyin explained.

He reaffirmed the police commitment to safeguarding Nigeria’s digital space through the deployment of advanced technology, strengthened international partnerships, and diligent investigative and prosecutorial processes aimed at effectively countering evolving cyber threats.