Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) have arrested six suspects for allegedly hacking into a telecommunication company in Nigeria to divert airtime and mobile data worth N7.7 billion.
Force Public Relations Officer, Force Headquarters, Abuja, Benjamin Hundeyin, in a statement on Wednesday, said the operation was carried out by the National Cybercrime Centre following a petition from the affected company.
Hundeyin said the suspects allegedly gained unlawful access into the core systems of the telecommunication company.
According to him, the company reported “suspicious and unauthorised activities within its billing and payments infrastructure.”
He said investigations revealed that “internal staff login credentials had been compromised, granting threat actors unlawful access to core systems.”
“The syndicate responsible for the illegal diversion of a telecommunications company’s airtime and data resources, resulting in “an estimated financial loss of over ₦7.7 billion.”
“Following weeks of planning, the police said “coordinated enforcement operations were executed in October 2025 in Kano and Katsina States, with a follow-up arrest in the Federal Capital Territory.”
The statement added that six suspects were arrested during the operation.
“They include Ahmad Bala, Karibu Mohammed Shehu, Umar Habib, Obinna Ananaba, Ibrahim Shehu, and Masa’ud Sa’ad,” the police said.
According to the statement, items recovered from the suspects include “two residential houses in Kano, two mini-plazas, GSM and laptop retail outlets containing over 400 laptops, 1,000 mobile phones, as well as a Toyota RAV4 vehicle — all proceeds of the crime.”
The police also said “substantial sums of money traced to the suspects’ accounts were recovered,” and that “the suspects would be charged to court on the completion of the investigation.”
Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, commended the officers involved in the operation.
The statement quoted the IGP as saying he “commended the officers involved in the investigation for their professionalism.”
He also “reiterated the unwavering resolve of the Nigeria Police Force, through the NPF–NCCC, to safeguard Nigeria’s digital and financial ecosystems, dismantle cyber-criminal networks, and ensure that offenders are held accountable regardless of position or affiliation.”
The Nigeria Police Force has uncovered a ₦7.7 billion cyber-enabled telecommunications fraud and arrested six suspects linked to the illegal diversion of airtime and data resources belonging to a telecom company.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Force Public Relations Officer, Force Headquarters, Abuja, Benjamin Hundeyin, the police said the operation was carried out by the National Cybercrime Centre following a petition from the affected company.
According to the statement, the company reported “suspicious and unauthorised activities within its billing and payments infrastructure.”
The police said investigations revealed that “internal staff login credentials had been compromised, granting threat actors unlawful access to core systems.”
The syndicate responsible for the illegal diversion of a telecommunications company’s airtime and data resources, resulting in “an estimated financial loss of over ₦7.7 billion.”
Seized apartment. Photo credit: NPF
Following weeks of planning, the police said “coordinated enforcement operations were executed in October 2025 in Kano and Katsina States, with a follow-up arrest in the Federal Capital Territory.”
The statement added that six suspects were arrested during the operation.
“They include Ahmad Bala, Karibu Mohammed Shehu, Umar Habib, Obinna Ananaba, Ibrahim Shehu, and Masa’ud Sa’ad,” the police said.
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Items recovered from the suspects include “two residential houses in Kano, two mini-plazas, GSM and laptop retail outlets containing over 400 laptops, 1,000 mobile phones, as well as a Toyota RAV4 vehicle — all proceeds of the crime.”
The police also said “substantial sums of money traced to the suspects’ accounts were recovered,” and that “the suspects would be charged to court on the completion of the investigation.”
Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, commended the officers involved in the operation.
The statement quoted the IGP as saying he “commended the officers involved in the investigation for their professionalism.”
He also “reiterated the unwavering resolve of the Nigeria Police Force, through the NPF–NCCC, to safeguard Nigeria’s digital and financial ecosystems, dismantle cyber-criminal networks, and ensure that offenders are held accountable regardless of position or affiliation.”
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