The Nigeria Police Force has uncovered a large-scale cybercrime operation involving the illegal diversion of telecommunications airtime and mobile data valued at N7.7 billion, arresting six suspects linked to the scheme.
According to a statement issued on Wednesday by the Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, the arrests followed a petition submitted by a telecommunications company that detected unusual and unauthorised transactions within its billing and payment infrastructure.
Investigations by operatives of the National Cybercrime Centre (NCCC) revealed that the perpetrators gained unlawful access to the company’s core systems after compromising internal staff login credentials, allowing them to manipulate airtime and data resources on a massive scale.
The police said the activities of the syndicate resulted in financial losses estimated at over N7.7 billion.
After weeks of intelligence gathering and surveillance, coordinated enforcement operations were carried out in October 2025 in Kano and Katsina states, with an additional arrest later effected in the Federal Capital Territory.
Six suspects were apprehended during the operations. They were 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 buildings in Kano, two mini-plazas, GSM and laptop sales outlets containing more than 400 laptops and about 1,000 mobile phones, as well as a Toyota RAV4 vehicle, all allegedly traced to proceeds of the crime.
The police also disclosed that large sums of money linked to the fraud were recovered from the suspects’ bank accounts, noting that the investigation is ongoing.
“The suspects will be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations,” Hundeyin said.
Reacting to the development, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, praised the officers involved for their professionalism and reiterated the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to combating cybercrime and protecting Nigeria’s digital and financial systems.