Police Bust ₦7.7bn Telecom Fraud Syndicate, Arrest Six Suspects

The Nigeria Police Force has uncovered a major cyber-enabled fraud scheme involving the illegal diversion of telecommunications airtime and data resources valued at over ₦7.7 billion.

The operation was carried out by the National Cybercrime Centre of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF–NCCC) following a petition from a Nigerian telecommunications company that reported suspicious and unauthorised activities within its billing and payment systems.

According to police investigations, the fraud was perpetrated after internal staff login credentials were compromised, giving the suspects unlawful access to the company’s core infrastructure. The breach enabled the large-scale diversion of airtime and data resources over an extended period.

After weeks of intelligence gathering and planning, coordinated enforcement operations were conducted in October 2025 across Kano and Katsina States, with a subsequent arrest made in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Six suspects were apprehended during the operation: Ahmad Bala, Karibu Mohammed Shehu, Umar Habib, Obinna Ananaba, Ibrahim Shehu, and Masa’ud Sa’ad.

Police also recovered assets believed to be proceeds of the crime, including two residential houses in Kano, two mini-plazas, several GSM and laptop retail outlets housing over 400 laptops and 1,000 mobile phones, as well as a Toyota RAV4 vehicle. In addition, substantial sums of money traced to the suspects’ bank accounts were recovered.

The suspects are expected to be charged in court upon the conclusion of investigations.
Reacting to the development, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, PhD, NPM, commended the officers involved for their professionalism and diligence.

He reaffirmed the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force, through the NPF–NCCC, to protecting Nigeria’s digital and financial ecosystems and ensuring that cybercriminals are brought to justice, regardless of their status or affiliations.