Nigeria Police arrest six suspects over alleged N7.7 billion telecom fraud
The Nigeria Police Drive–Nationwide Cybercrime Centre has arrested six suspects over an alleged N7.7 billion telecommunications fraud involving the unlawful diversion of airtime and information assets.
The event was disclosed in a press release issued on Wednesday by the Drive Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, on the Drive Headquarters in Abuja.
In accordance with the police, the arrests adopted weeks of coordinated investigations triggered by a petition from an unnamed Nigerian telecommunications firm over suspicious actions in its billing methods.
The police mentioned the operation led to the dismantling of what it described as a complicated cyber-enabled fraud syndicate, with a number of property allegedly linked to the proceeds of the crime recovered throughout a number of states.
Police authorities mentioned the alleged fraud concerned unauthorised entry to crucial telecom infrastructure, leading to important {financial} losses for the affected firm.
“The syndicate was chargeable for the unlawful diversion of a telecommunications firm’s airtime and information assets, leading to an estimated {financial} lack of over N7.7 billion.”
“Following weeks of planning, coordinated enforcement operations had been executed in October 2025 in Kano and Katsina states, with a follow-up arrest within the Federal Capital Territory.”
“The operation led to the arrest of six suspects: Ahmad Bala, Karibu Mohammed Shehu, Umar Habib, Obinna Ananaba, Ibrahim Shehu, and Masa’ud Sa’advert,” the assertion partly reads.
The Nigeria Police mentioned the raids and arrests resulted within the restoration of a number of high-value property allegedly acquired with proceeds from the crime.
These recoveries, in response to the police, mirror the size and coordination of the alleged fraud syndicate:
The Inspector-Common of Police, Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, PhD, counseled the officers concerned and reiterated the Drive’s dedication to defending Nigeria’s digital and {financial} ecosystems.
The arrests come amid broader efforts by the Nigeria Police Drive to clamp down on large-scale cybercrime and {financial} fraud throughout the nation.
In a associated improvement, the IGP had earlier knowledgeable the Federal Excessive Court docket in Abuja of main recoveries linked to ongoing fraud investigations.
In 2025, police operatives reportedly recovered properties value about N6 billion from suspected fraudsters.
The recoveries had been linked to an alleged N21.4 billion fraud and cash laundering scheme involving 2,039 {bank} accounts throughout 56 {financial} establishments.
The suspects had been accused of utilizing firms, enterprises, and associates to hide possession and the origin of illicit funds.
Nairametrics reported that the Drive Intelligence Division disclosed these particulars throughout an ex parte movement listening to earlier than Justice Obiora Egwatu, as investigations into the broader fraud continued.