OPERATIVES of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) have arrested six suspected cybercriminals for allegedly hacking into the systems of a Nigerian telecommunications company and diverting airtime and mobile data valued at approximately ₦7.7 billion.
The arrest was confirmed on Wednesday in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria by the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, who said the suspects unlawfully accessed the core infrastructure of the telecom firm to perpetrate the large-scale fraud.
According to the police, the suspects were identified as Ahmad Bala, Karibu Mohammed Shehu, Umar Habib, Obinna Ananaba, Ibrahim Shehu, and Masa’ud Sa’ad.
Adejobi disclosed that operatives recovered significant assets during coordinated raids, including two mini plazas converted into cybercrime hubs, multiple retail outlets, more than 400 laptops, over 1,000 mobile phones, and a Toyota vehicle believed to have been used for the operation.
He added that a substantial sum of money linked to the illegal activities was traced to the suspects’ bank accounts, further strengthening the case against them.
“The syndicate was responsible for the illegal diversion of a telecommunications company’s airtime and data resources, resulting in an estimated financial loss exceeding ₦7.7 billion,” the statement said.
The police explained that the breakthrough followed a formal petition submitted by the affected telecommunications company, which reported suspicious and unauthorised transactions within its billing and payment systems.
Subsequent investigations revealed that the cybercriminals had compromised internal staff login credentials, enabling them to gain unlawful access to sensitive core systems and manipulate airtime and data allocations.
Following weeks of intelligence gathering and surveillance, police operatives carried out coordinated enforcement operations in October 2025 across Kano and Katsina states, with a follow-up arrest later made in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The police noted that investigations are ongoing to identify additional members of the syndicate and determine whether insiders within the telecom firm were involved in the breach.
“The suspects will be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, PhD, NPM, has commended the officers involved in the operation for what he described as professionalism, diligence, and commitment to combating cybercrime.
The police reiterated their determination to protect Nigeria’s digital infrastructure and warned that cybercriminals exploiting technology for financial crimes would be relentlessly pursued and prosecuted.