The Nigeria Police Force has uncovered a major cyber fraud group that illegally took over ₦7.7 billion worth of airtime and data from a Nigerian telecommunications company.
This information was shared by the Nigeria Police Force.
According to the Force, the breakthrough came after a telecom company filed a complaint about strange and unauthorized activities in its network. Investigations showed that cybercriminals had manipulated staff logins, which allowed them to divert resources illegally.
The statement revealed that law enforcement officers carried out intelligent raids in October 2025 in Kano State, the Centre of Commerce and Katsina State, Home of Hospitality, with a follow-up arrest in the Federal Capital Territory, leading to the arrest of six individuals identified as Ahmad Bala, Karibu Mohammed Shehu, Umar Habib, Obinna Ananaba, Ibrahim Shehu, and Masa’ud Sa’ad.
Authorities recovered assets including two residential properties in Kano, two mini-plazas, and several GSM and laptop retail outlets containing over 400 laptops and 1,000 mobile phones. They also seized a Toyota RAV4 vehicle and large sums of money from the suspects’ accounts. The six suspects will be prosecuted once investigations are complete.
Reacting to the issue, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, commended the officers for their hard work, highlighting the force’s commitment to protecting Nigeria’s digital and financial systems.
“The Nigeria Police Force, through the NPF-NCCC, is determined to dismantle cybercriminal networks and hold offenders responsible, no matter their position or affiliation,” he said.
CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, the Force Public Relations Officer at Force Headquarters in Abuja, confirmed these developments.
