Operatives attached to the National Cyber Crime division of the Nigeria Police Force have uncovered a ₦7.7 billion worth cyber-enabled telecommunications fraud and arrested six members of a suspected criminal syndicate linked to the illegal diversion of airtime and data resources belonging to a telecom company.
In a Wednesday statement signed by the Force’s Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, the intelligence-led operation followed a petition by a Nigerian telecommunications company, reporting a suspicious and unauthorized activities within its billing and payments infrastructure.
According to the statement, the investigations revealed that internal staff login credentials had been compromised, granting threat actors unlawful access to core systems.
The statement reads, “Following weeks of planning, coordinated enforcement operations were executed in October 2025 in Kano and Katsina States, with a follow-up arrest in the Federal Capital Territory. The operation led to the arrest of six suspects: Ahmad Bala, Karibu Mohammed Shehu, Umar Habib, Obinna Ananaba, Ibrahim Shehu, and Masa’ud Sa’ad.
“Recovered items during the arrest include two residential houses in Kano, two mini-plazas, GSM and laptop retail outlets containing over 400 laptops, 1,000 mobile as well as a Toyota RAV4 vehicle – all proceeds of the crime. Substantial sums of money traced to the suspects’ accounts were also recovered. The suspects would be charged in court on the completion of the investigation.”
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, commended the officers involved in the investigation for their professionalism.
Egbtokun reiterates 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.
