Nigerian Police say they have uncovered and dismantled a major cyber-enabled fraud network accused of illegally diverting airtime and data belonging to a telecommunications company, causing losses estimated at more than ₦7.7bn.

The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF–NCCC) said the operation followed a petition from a telecoms provider which detected suspicious and unauthorised activities within its billing and payment systems.

Investigators found that login credentials belonging to internal staff had been compromised, allowing the suspects to gain unlawful access to the company’s core infrastructure, the police said.

After several weeks of surveillance and planning, coordinated raids were carried out in October 2025 across Kano and Katsina states, with a further arrest later made in Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Six suspects were arrested: Ahmad Bala, Karibu Mohammed Shehu, Umar Habib, Obinna Ananaba, Ibrahim Shehu and Masa’ud Sa’ad.

Police said assets believed to be proceeds of the crime were recovered, including two residential houses in Kano, two mini-plazas, GSM and laptop retail outlets containing more than 400 laptops and about 1,000 mobile phones, as well as a Toyota RAV4 vehicle. Authorities also traced and recovered large sums of money from the suspects’ bank accounts.

The suspects are expected to be charged in court after investigations are concluded.

Nigeria’s Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, praised officers involved in the operation and said the force remained committed to protecting the country’s digital and financial systems and holding cybercriminals accountable.

The police say investigations into the case are continuing.