The Nigeria Police Force has cracked a sophisticated cyber-enabled fraud syndicate responsible for the illegal diversion of airtime and data valued at over N7.7 billion from a telecommunications company, arresting six key suspects in a nationwide operation.
The breakthrough was announced on Wednesday by the Force Public Relations Officer, Force Headquarters, Abuja, ACP Benjamin Hundeyin. The investigation was initiated by the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) following a formal petition from the affected telecoms provider.
According to the police, the company reported “suspicious and unauthorised activities within its billing and payments infrastructure.” A deep dive into the systems revealed a critical security breach. “Investigations revealed that internal staff login credentials had been compromised, granting threat actors unlawful access to core systems,” the statement explained.
This unauthorized access was exploited by the syndicate to orchestrate a massive diversion of airtime and data resources, leading to what the police described as “an estimated financial loss of over ₦7.7 billion.”
In a coordinated crackdown, operatives executed enforcement operations in October 2025 across Kano and Katsina States, with a subsequent arrest made in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The six arrested suspects were identified as Ahmad Bala, Karibu Mohammed Shehu, Umar Habib, Obinna Ananaba, Ibrahim Shehu, and Masa’ud Sa’ad.
The police also made significant recoveries believed to be proceeds of the crime. “Items recovered from the suspects include 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,” ACP Hundeyin stated. He added that “substantial sums of money traced to the suspects’ accounts were recovered.”
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, commended the officers involved for their diligence. The statement quoted the IGP as saying he “commended the officers involved in the investigation for their professionalism.”
IGP Egbetokun also “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 police confirmed that the suspects will be charged to court upon the completion of the investigation.
