A Ghana-based Nigerian national, Aderinsola Oluwanitemi Adeleye, has been arrested by the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) in the West African country over allegations of cybercrime and financial crimes.
Reports noted that Mr Adeleye came under scrutiny on June 25, 2026 over a series of suspicious transactions carried out with ATM cards issued by banks in the United States of America at selected Point of Sale (POS) located in filling stations across Ghana.
This prompted the manager of Haatso Shell Filling Station in Accra to contact the police to report the matter after the business reportedly received a complaint from Ecobank Ghana regarding a suspicious POS transaction at the location.
According to the GhanaWeb, immediate investigation by Haatso showed d that two of its employees were complicit in facilitating the alleged withdrawal. They were eventually handed over to police, which resulted in the confession that they colluded with Mr Adeleye to make the transaction.
Unaware of the situation, the suspect, who owns a cement block manufacturing company in Accra, later returned to the filling station around 8:00 p.m. on the same day and was immediately recognised by staffer at the business, resulting in his arrest.
The Peoples Gazette gathered that a search conducted on Mr Adeleye at the scene by officers led to the discovery of a Beretta pistol loaded with two rounds of 9mm live ammunition and a Citibank Visa debit card.
Authorities also found 15 rounds of live 9mm ammunition and one empty 9mm shell casing, hidden in a drawer, during a subsequent search of the suspect’s office.
He is said to have been under the radar of Ghana’s Cyber Security Authority in connection to cyber-related financial crimes long before his arrest.
Additionally, several electronic devices, including two mobile phones, were confiscated in the home of Mr Adeleye during execution of a search warrant on June 27.
During interrogation, Mr Adeleye claimed that an acquaintance in the United States of America, whom he identified as Gail Oneara, sent him the Citibank debit card with an available balance of approximately $10,000 as a gift and had withdrawn about $8,000 before his apprehension.
Further probe confirmed that Ecobank Ghana received a fraud complaint from Citibank through Visa international over unauthorised transactions on debit cards belonging to two customers of Citibank.
Officials said Mr Adeleye invested the proceeds from his illegal scheme in several projects, including a four-bedroom storey building, a cement block manufacturing, a black Nissan ZNA pickup vehicle, and other property.
Meanwhile, a manhunt was reported to be underway for Mr Adeleye’s suspected co-conspirators, believed to be at large. The Ghana Police Service and Federal Bureau of Prisons were also involved in the operation.