Nigeria Police Uncover ₦7.7bn Telecom Fraud, Arrest Six Suspects

The Nigeria Police Force, through its National Cybercrime Centre (NPF–NCCC), has uncovered a large-scale cyber-enabled fraud involving the illegal diversion of telecommunications airtime and data resources, with losses estimated at over ₦7.7 billion.


According to a statement signed by the Force Public Relations Officer, FPRO,CSP, Benjamin Hundeyin in Abuja, The fraud was uncovered following a petition from a Nigerian telecommunications company, which reported suspicious and unauthorized activities within its billing and payment systems. Investigations revealed that the perpetrators gained unlawful access to the company’s core infrastructure after compromising internal staff login credentials.

After weeks of intelligence gathering and planning, coordinated enforcement operations were carried out in October 2025 across Kano and Katsina States, with a follow-up arrest in the Federal Capital Territory.

Six suspects were arrested in connection with the fraud. They are Ahmad Bala, Karibu Mohammed Shehu, Umar Habib, Obinna Ananaba, Ibrahim Shehu, and Masa’ud Sa’ad.

Items recovered during the operations include two residential houses in Kano, two mini-plazas, GSM and laptop retail outlets containing over 400 laptops and 1,000 mobile phones, as well as a Toyota RAV4 vehicle. Police also recovered substantial sums of money traced to the suspects’ bank accounts. All recovered assets are believed to be proceeds of the crime.

The suspects are expected to be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations.

Reacting to the development, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun commended the officers involved for their professionalism and dedication. He reaffirmed the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force, through the NPF–NCCC, to protecting Nigeria’s digital and financial ecosystems, dismantling cybercriminal networks, and ensuring that offenders are brought to justice regardless of their status or affiliation.

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