The Nigeria Police Force says it has uncovered a ₦7.7 billion cyber-enabled telecommunications fraud involving the illegal diversion of airtime and data resources, arresting six suspects and recovering assets investigators allege are proceeds of the scheme.
The breakthrough followed a petition by a telecommunications company that reported “suspicious and unauthorised activities” within its billing and payment infrastructure, according to a statement issued Wednesday by Force Public Relations Officer ACP Benjamin Hundeyin. Police investigators attached to the Nigeria Police Force – National Cybercrime Centre (NPF–NCCC) said their probe revealed that internal staff login credentials were compromised, giving “threat actors” unlawful access to core systems.
Police said the suspects exploited the breach to divert airtime and data at scale, estimating losses to the affected operator at over ₦7.7 billion. While the name of the telecom firm was not disclosed, the NPF described the operation as “sophisticated” and “coordinated,” suggesting a blend of insider-enabled access and external monetisation channels.
Hundeyin said enforcement operations were carried out in October 2025 across Kano and Katsina States, with a follow-up arrest later made in the Federal Capital Territory. The six suspects named by police are Ahmad Bala, Karibu Mohammed Shehu, Umar Habib, Obinna Ananaba, Ibrahim Shehu, and Masa’ud Sa’ad.
Items recovered during the raids include two residential houses in Kano, two mini-plazas, and retail outlets for GSM devices and laptops “housing” over 400 laptops and 1,000 mobile phones, as well as a Toyota RAV4, which investigators allege were acquired from proceeds of the fraud. Police also said they traced and recovered “substantial sums” from bank accounts linked to the suspects.
The suspects remain in custody and will be charged to court upon conclusion of investigations, the police said. Inspector-General of Police Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun commended the officers involved and reiterated the NPF–NCCC’s mandate to protect Nigeria’s digital and financial ecosystems and dismantle cybercrime networks “irrespective of status or affiliation.”
