Two Nigerians  has been arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Nosakhare Nobore and Solomon Aluko, for their alleged roles in orchestrating a massive scheme that defrauded the United States government and its citizens of approximately $50 million.

The duo is accused of creating a ‘Fraud Bible,’ a comprehensive guide detailing methods to execute large-scale scams, which they purportedly used to exploit COVID-19 relief funds.​

According to an indictment unsealed by the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Matthew Podolsky, Nobore and Aluko were part of a syndicate that operated between 2021 and 2025.

They allegedly engaged in a nationwide scheme to fraudulently obtain checks and launder the proceeds across various U.S. cities.

The indictment also names four other individuals, Jorge Gonzalez, Leonard Ujkic, Nicholas Pappas, and Shan An and as co-conspirators in the elaborate fraud network.

The suspects are accused of stealing victims’ identities to open fake bank accounts, with assistance from a bank teller within their ranks.

This insider allegedly facilitated the deposit of counterfeit or fraudulently obtained U.S. Treasury checks, linked to false filings with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) concerning the Employee Retention Credit (ERC) and Qualified Sick Leave Wages (QSLW) credit.

Authorities claim that the defendants attempted to steal up to $80 million but successfully cashed out $50 million over the four-year period. Once the checks were deposited, the funds were either withdrawn in cash or transferred to other accounts under the defendants’ control.​

Each defendant faces multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, which carries a potential sentence of 30 years in prison; conspiracy to commit money laundering, with a possible 20-year sentence; conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government, punishable by up to 10 years; and aggravated identity theft, which mandates a two-year sentence.​

Osun State Chairman of Allied Peoples Movement (APM), and The former Chairman of Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) Hon Adewale Adebayo has advised Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke not to follow the footsteps of River State governor, Siminalayi Fubara.

He admonished the governor to cooperate with reinstated local government chairmen and warned that continued attempts by Osun Stste Government to frustrate the resumption of the reinstated chairmen and impeding governance at councils may result in anarchy.

Adebayo in a statement advised that “We want to admonish Adeleke not to toe the path of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara who have irreconcilable differences with an arm of government. With the current situation in Osun, it is looking like it.

“The council is a dead zone now which will affect the residents of the state. Most of the activities in councils are on hold. Tax collection, marriage registry, payment of monarch, sanitation inspection, provision of social amenities among others.”

The ex-IPAC chair added that “we are urging Adeleke to cooperate with the reinstated chairmen and not hoist flag of illegality with the lockdown and sit-at-home produced chairmen.

“Adeleke must not pay those PDP illegal chairmen from state allocation, this can further degenerate to cisis which we must avoid because State of Emergency is not needed in Osun State.”

The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has confirmed the recent arrest of two individuals in Abuja and Lagos, both of whom were on Interpol’s red list.

Tunji-Ojo made the announcement during the 5th edition of the Ministerial Press Briefing in Abuja on Thursday.

He highlighted that these arrests mark a change in the country’s approach to law enforcement and border security.

The minister stressed the importance of securing the nation’s borders, stating, “A secured border is a safe nation. Show me a country that cannot secure its borders, and I will show you a nation that can never be safe.”

The minister also noted that significant improvements have been made in border control, with new posts constructed and officers now stationed to regulate migration.

Additionally, the Nigerian Immigration Service now operates a command and control centre that integrates real-time security data from around the world.

“These arrests demonstrate the results of these efforts,” Tunji-Ojo said. “Just two days ago, someone on the red list of Interpol was apprehended in Abuja. Last week, another individual on the same list was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.”

Tunji-Ojo concluded by emphasising that these developments signal a shift in Nigeria’s security operations, stressing, “It shows that it is not business as usual.”