Thursday, January 29, 2026 - The police have uncovered a N7.7bn cyber-enabled telecommunications fraud, arresting six suspects accused of illegally diverting airtime and data belonging to a telecom company.
The operation was conducted by the National Cybercrime
Centre following a petition from the affected company, according to a statement
on Wednesday by the Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin.
The company had reported “suspicious and unauthorized
activities within its billing and payments infrastructure.”
Police investigations revealed that internal staff login
credentials had been compromised, granting the perpetrators unlawful access to
core systems.
“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 N7.7bn,” Hundeyin said.
After weeks of planning, coordinated enforcement operations
were executed in October 2025 in Kano and Katsina states, with a follow-up
arrest in the Federal Capital Territory.
Six suspects were apprehended: Ahmad Bala, Karibu
Shehu, Umar Habib, Obinna Ananaba, Ibrahim Shehu, and Masa’ud Sa’ad.
Recovered items linked to the suspects include two
residential houses in Kano, two mini-plazas, GSM and laptop retail outlets
containing over 400 laptops, 1,000 mobile phones, and a Toyota RAV4 vehicle —
all alleged proceeds of the crime.
Police also recovered substantial sums of money traced to
the suspects’ accounts, stressing that they would be charged to court upon
completion of the investigation.
The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, commended
the officers involved for their professionalism and reiterated the force’s
commitment to safeguarding Nigeria’s digital and financial ecosystems.
“The Nigeria Police Force, through the NPF–NCCC, is
unwavering in its resolve to dismantle cyber-criminal networks and ensure that
offenders are held accountable regardless of position or affiliation,” the IG
said.
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