The Nigeria Police Force, through its National Cybercrime Centre (NPF–NCCC), has apprehended suspected high-profile internet fraudsters linked to coordinated cyberattacks on Microsoft 365 email systems used by major corporate organisations.
The disclosure was contained in a statement issued by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, at the Force Headquarters in Abuja.
The arrests followed credible and actionable intelligence provided by Microsoft Corporation, United States, through the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which exposed the deployment of a sophisticated phishing toolkit known as RaccoonO365. The toolkit was allegedly used to create fake Microsoft login portals designed to harvest user credentials and gain unauthorised access to corporate, financial and educational email platforms.
Acting on the intelligence, the NPF–NCCC launched a coordinated, intelligence-driven operation in collaboration with Microsoft, the FBI and the United States Secret Service. Investigations revealed that between January and September 2025, several Microsoft 365 accounts were compromised through phishing emails crafted to closely resemble legitimate Microsoft authentication pages.
The cyberattacks reportedly resulted in business email compromise, data breaches and financial losses across multiple jurisdictions.
Based on precise intelligence, NPF–NCCC operatives conducted operations in Lagos and Edo states, leading to the arrest of three suspects. Searches carried out at their residences yielded laptops, mobile phones and other digital devices, which forensic analysis has linked to the cyber fraud scheme.
Further investigations identified one Okitipi Samuel, also known by the aliases “RaccoonO365” and “Moses Felix,” as the principal suspect and alleged developer of the phishing infrastructure. Police said he operated a Telegram channel through which phishing links were sold for cryptocurrency and hosted fraudulent login portals on Cloudflare using stolen or fraudulently obtained email credentials.
However, investigators noted that there was no evidence linking the two other arrested suspects to the creation or direct operation of the phishing scheme.
The Nigeria Police Force reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the nation’s digital space, stressing that it will continue to deploy advanced technology, strengthen international partnerships and pursue diligent investigative and prosecutorial processes to combat evolving cyber threats.
