ABUJA, Nigeria — The Nigeria Police Force has uncovered a large-scale cyber-enabled fraud involving the illegal diversion of a telecommunications company’s airtime and data resources, with estimated losses exceeding N7.7 billion.
The National Cybercrime Centre arrested six suspects in connection with the scheme and recovered several high-value assets believed to be proceeds of the crime.
Investigators said the operation began after a Nigerian telecom company reported unauthorized activity in its billing and payment systems. Fraudsters allegedly compromised internal staff login credentials, allowing them to manipulate airtime and data resources on a massive scale.
Following weeks of surveillance and intelligence-led operations, coordinated arrests were carried out in Kano and Katsina states in October 2025, with a follow-up arrest in the Federal Capital Territory.
The arrested suspects were identified as Ahmad Bala, Karibu Mohammed Shehu, Umar Habib, Obinna Ananaba, Ibrahim Shehu, and Masa’ud Sa’ad. Items recovered included two residential houses in Kano, two mini-plazas, GSM and laptop retail outlets stocked with over 400 laptops and 1,000 mobile phones, a Toyota RAV4, and substantial sums of money traced to their bank accounts.
In a statement, the Police said, “The syndicate was responsible for the illegal diversion of a telecommunications company’s airtime and data resources, resulting in an estimated financial loss of over N7.7 billion.”
Inspector-General of Police Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun praised the officers for their professionalism, saying the Force remains committed to safeguarding Nigeria’s digital and financial ecosystems and bringing cybercriminals to justice.
The suspects will be charged in court upon the conclusion of investigations, the Police confirmed.
