The Nigeria Police Force, through its National Cybercrime Centre (NPF–NCCC), has uncovered and dismantled a sophisticated cyber-enabled fraud syndicate responsible for the illegal diversion of a telecommunications company’s airtime and data resources, leading to an estimated financial loss of over ₦7.7 billion.
The police said the breakthrough followed a petition from a Nigerian telecommunications company, which reported suspicious and unauthorised activities within its billing and payment systems.
Investigations revealed that the fraud was facilitated by the compromise of internal staff login credentials, granting the suspects unlawful access to the company’s core operational infrastructure.
After weeks of intelligence gathering and planning, coordinated enforcement operations were carried out in October 2025 across Kano and Katsina states, with a subsequent arrest made in the Federal Capital Territory.
The operation led to the arrest of six suspects identified as Ahmad Bala, Karibu Mohammed Shehu, Umar Habib, Obinna Ananaba, Ibrahim Shehu, and Masa’ud Sa’ad.
Items recovered from the suspects include two residential houses in Kano, two mini-plazas, GSM and laptop retail outlets containing over 400 laptops and about 1,000 mobile phones, as well as a Toyota RAV4 vehicle. The police said the assets were proceeds of the crime, adding that substantial sums of money traced to the suspects’ bank accounts were also recovered.
The suspects will be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations.
Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, commended officers of the NPF–NCCC for their professionalism and dedication.
He reaffirmed the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to protecting the country’s digital and financial ecosystems, dismantling cybercriminal networks, and ensuring that offenders are brought to justice regardless of their status or affiliations.
The police also urged organisations and the public to strengthen cybersecurity practices and promptly report suspicious digital activities to law enforcement agencies.