Nigeria: Police Uncover N7.7 Billion Telecom Fraud, Arrest Six Suspects

The police said the syndicate was exposed following a petition by a Nigerian telecom operator, which reported suspicious and unauthorised activities within its billing and payment systems.

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) said its National Cybercrime Centre (NCCC) uncovered a large-scale cyber-enabled fraud involving the illegal diversion of a telecommunications company's airtime and data resources, with estimated losses of N7.7 billion.

According to a statement by police spokesperson Benjamin Hundeyin, six suspects were arrested in connection with the alleged theft.

The police said the syndicate was exposed following a petition by a Nigerian telecom operator, which reported suspicious and unauthorised activities within its billing and payment systems.

Subsequent investigations, the police said, revealed that "internal staff login credentials had been compromised, granting threat actors unlawful access to core systems."

Mr Hundeyin said the probe culminated in coordinated enforcement operations carried out in October 2025 across Kano and Katsina states, with a follow-up arrest in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

The six suspects arrested during the operations are identified as Ahmad Bala, Karibu 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 housing over 400 laptops and 1,000 mobile phones, as well as a Toyota RAV4 vehicle.

The police said all the assets were proceeds of the alleged crime. In addition, "substantial sums" of money traced to the suspects' bank accounts were also recovered.

The police noted that the suspects would be charged in court upon the conclusion of investigations.

The police spokesperson said the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, commended the officers involved in the operation for their professionalism.

"He 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," Mr Hundeyin stated.

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