The Nigeria Police Force has uncovered a whopping ₦7.7 billion cyber-enabled telecommunications fraud, leading to the arrest of six suspects linked to the illegal diversion of airtime and data belonging to a major telecom company.
In a statement yesterday by Force Public Relations Officer( FPRO) CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, he explained that the operation was conducted by the National Cybercrime Centre (NCCC) following a petition from the affected company.
According to the statement, the company reported “suspicious and unauthorised activities within its billing and payments infrastructure. “Investigation revealed that internal staff login credentials had been compromised, granting threat actors unlawful access to core systems.”
The police said the criminal syndicate exploited the access to illegally divert airtime and data resources, resulting in “an estimated financial loss of over ₦7.7 billion.”
“After weeks of intelligence gathering and planning, the police launched “coordinated enforcement operations in October 2025 in Kano and Katsina States, with a follow-up arrest in the Federal Capital Territory.” The operation culminated in the arrest of six suspects.
“They include: Ahmad Bala, Karibu Mohammed Shehu, Umar Habib, Obinna Ananaba, Ibrahim Shehu, and Masa’ud Sa’ad,” the statement said.
Authorities also recovered significant assets believed to be proceeds of the crime, including “two residential houses in Kano, two mini-plazas, GSM and laptop retail outlets containing over 400 laptops, 1,000 mobile phones, as well as a Toyota RAV4 vehicle, all proceeds of the crime.”
In addition, the police disclosed that “substantial sums of money traced to the suspects’ accounts were recovered,” noting that “the suspects would be charged to court on the completion of the investigation.”
Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, praised officers involved in the operation, commending their professionalism and dedication.
The statement quoted the IGP as saying that he “commended the officers involved in the investigation for their professionalism.”
He further “reiterated the unwavering resolve of the Nigeria Police Force, through the NPF–NCCC, to safeguard Nigeria’s digital and financial ecosystems, dismantle cyber-criminal networks, and ensure that offenders are held accountable regardless of position or affiliation.”
“The bust marks one of the most significant cybercrime enforcement actions in Nigeria’s telecom sector and highlights the growing threat of digital fraud and the increasing efforts by law enforcement to protect critical national infrastructure.’
