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Telecom fraud: Nigeria Police arrest six suspects over alleged ₦7.7bn airtime and data diversion scheme.

The Nigeria Police Force has arrested six individuals in connection with an alleged ₦7.7 billion telecommunications fraud linked to the illegal diversion of airtime and data resources.

The arrests were carried out by the National Cybercrime Centre (NCCC) following weeks of coordinated investigations, according to a statement released on Wednesday by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, in Abuja.

Police said the probe began after an unnamed Nigerian telecommunications company raised concerns over unusual activities detected within its billing system.

Investigators revealed that the suspects allegedly gained access through compromised internal credentials, which were then used to divert airtime and data for financial gain.

According to the police, enforcement operations were executed in October 2025 across Kano and Katsina states, with a follow-up arrest later made in the Federal Capital Territory.

Those arrested were identified as Ahmad Bala, Karibu Mohammed Shehu, Umar Habib, Obinna Ananaba, Ibrahim Shehu, and Masa’ud Sa’ad.

Police authorities confirmed that the suspects will be charged to court once investigations are concluded. Assets believed to be connected to the alleged fraud have also been recovered.

The police disclosed that the scale of the alleged fraud was reflected in the assets seized during the operations.

Recovered items include two residential houses in Kano, as well as two mini-plazas and several GSM and laptop retail outlets.

Officers also seized over 400 laptops, about 1,000 mobile phones, a Toyota RAV4, and significant funds traced to the suspects’ bank accounts.

The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, commended the officers involved and reaffirmed the Force’s resolve to safeguard Nigeria’s digital and financial systems.

The arrests come amid a broader nationwide effort by the police to dismantle large-scale cybercrime and financial fraud networks.

In a related case, police operatives in 2025 reportedly recovered assets worth about ₦6 billion linked to an alleged ₦21.4 billion fraud and money laundering scheme involving more than 2,000 bank accounts across multiple financial institutions.

Investigators said the suspects in that case allegedly used companies and associates to conceal the source and ownership of illicit funds.