Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force have arrested six suspects over the alleged hacking of a telecommunications company to divert airtime and mobile data valued at ₦7.7 billion. In a statement issued on Wednesday, Force Public Relations Officer Benjamin Hundeyin said the suspects unlawfully accessed the company’s core systems to carry out the operation.
The suspects were identified as Ahmad Bala, Karibu Mohammed Shehu, Umar Habib, Obinna Ananaba, Ibrahim Shehu and Masa’ud Sa’ad. Police said two mini plazas, retail outlets housing more than 400 laptops, 1,000 mobile phones and a Toyota vehicle were recovered. Investigators also traced what was described as a substantial amount of money to the suspects’ bank accounts.
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According to the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre, the fraud was uncovered following a petition by the affected telecommunications company, which reported suspicious activities in its billing and payments infrastructure. The police said compromised internal staff login credentials enabled the breach. Coordinated enforcement operations were carried out in October 2025 in Kano and Katsina States, with a follow up arrest in the Federal Capital Territory. The suspects are expected to be charged to court after investigations are concluded.
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