Lagos real estate CEO arrested over $23m UK fraud while trying to board paris flight

A 39-year-old Nigerian national and Chief Executive Officer of a Lagos-based real estate firm, Edwin Omokhuale, has been arrested at Dublin Airport while attempting to board a flight to Paris, according to a report by Starconnect Media.

Omokhuale, wanted by the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA) under an international arrest warrant, was apprehended on Wednesday afternoon by officers from An Garda Síochána, Ireland’s national police service.

The Irish Independent and Dublin Live report that Omokhuale faces money laundering charges linked to a cyber fraud scheme that targeted an Australian mining company in early 2023, siphoning off approximately $23million (roughly €19.7million or £17million). Investigators say the syndicate behind the scheme operated predominantly from the UK, using a Business Email Compromise and diversion tactic to deceive company employees into transferring funds into accounts it controlled.

At the time of the alleged offence, Omokhuale was residing in the UK, where he allegedly coordinated the financial structures used to launder the proceeds. He was intercepted at the departure terminal after Irish authorities acted on intelligence shared through European extradition channels by the NCA.

Omokhuale’s public business profile and UK records show links to property companies and other businesses.

He was remanded in custody and is expected to appear before a Dublin court today, Thursday, September 10, as formal extradition proceedings begin to return him to the UK for trial. If convicted, he faces custodial sentencing and asset forfeiture under UK anti-money laundering law.