The Nigeria Police Force has dismantled a cybercrime network that unlawfully diverted airtime and data resources from a Nigerian telecommunications company, with losses estimated at more than ₦7.7 billion.
Details of the operation were disclosed in a press release signed and issued by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, on Wednesday, January 28, 2026.
The investigation was launched after the affected telecom company submitted a petition over irregularities detected within its billing and payment systems.
Police said findings revealed that login credentials belonging to internal staff were compromised, enabling unauthorized access to critical systems and allowing the fraud to be carried out over time.
Targeted enforcement operations were subsequently conducted in October 2025 across Kano and Katsina States, while a follow-up arrest was made in the Federal Capital Territory.
Six suspects were arrested during the operations. They are Ahmad Bala, Karibu Mohammed Shehu, Umar Habib, Obinna Ananaba, Ibrahim Shehu, and Masa’ud Sa’ad.
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Items and properties believed to be proceeds of the crime were recovered, including two residential houses in Kano, two mini-plazas, GSM and laptop sales outlets containing more than 400 laptops and about 1,000 mobile phones, as well as a Toyota RAV4 vehicle. Funds traced to the suspects’ bank accounts were also recovered.
The suspects are expected to be arraigned in court upon the conclusion of investigations.
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM, praised officers of the National Cybercrime Centre for their professionalism and reaffirmed the Force’s commitment to safeguarding Nigeria’s digital and financial infrastructure and pursuing cybercrime offenders nationwide.