The Nigeria Police Force has uncovered a large-scale
cyber fraud scheme involving the illegal diversion of telecommunications
airtime and data, with estimated losses put at over N7.7 billion.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin,
disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday, revealing that six suspects
were arrested in connection with the operation.
Hundeyin identified the suspects as Ahmad Bala, Karibu
Mohammed Shehu, Umar Habib, Obinna Ananaba, Ibrahim Shehu, and Masa’ud Sa’ad.
According to the police spokesman, investigations
showed that the suspects unlawfully accessed the internal systems of a major
telecommunications company, exploiting compromised staff login credentials to
manipulate its billing and payment platforms.
He said police operatives recovered two mini plazas
housing retail outlets, more than 400 laptops, about 1,000 mobile phones, and a
Toyota vehicle during the operation. Authorities also traced a “substantial”
sum of money linked to the fraud to the suspects’ bank accounts.
The statement explained that the breakthrough followed
a formal petition from the affected telecom company, which reported suspicious
activities within its core operational systems.
Further investigations revealed that the syndicate had
been diverting airtime and data resources on a massive scale, resulting in
significant financial losses to the company.
Hundeyin said coordinated enforcement operations were
carried out in October 2025 across Kano and Katsina states, with an additional
arrest later made in the Federal Capital Territory.
“The suspects will be arraigned in court upon the
conclusion of investigations,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode
Adeolu Egbetokun, commended the officers of the National Cybercrime Centre for
their professionalism and dedication in dismantling the fraud network.
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