Police Arrest Six-Member Syndicate Over ₦7.7bn Telecom Airtime Scam, Recover Houses, Plazas, 400 Laptops
The Nigeria Police Force–National Cybercrime Centre (NPF–NCCC) has announced the arrest of a six-member syndicate for their involvement in the illegal diversion of a telecommunications company’s airtime and data resources worth over ₦7.7 billion.
The arrested members of the syndicate are Ahmad Bala, Karibu Mohammed Shehu, Umar Habib, Obinna Ananaba, Ibrahim Shehu, and Masa’ud Sa’ad.
According to a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, on Wednesday, the breakthrough followed a petition by a Nigerian telecommunications company, which reported suspicious and unauthorised activities within its billing and payments infrastructure.
“Investigations revealed that internal staff login credentials had been compromised, granting threat actors unlawful access to core systems. Following weeks of planning, coordinated enforcement operations were executed in October 2025 in Kano and Katsina States, with a follow-up arrest in 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’ad. Recovered items during the arrest include two residential houses in Kano, two mini-plazas, GSM and laptop retail outlets containing over 400 laptops, 1,000 mobile as well as a Toyota RAV4 vehicle – all proceeds of the crime,” the statement said.
CSP Hundeyin disclosed that substantial sums of money traced to the suspects’ accounts were also recovered, noting that they would be charged to court upon the completion of the investigation.
Commenting on the arrest, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, commended the officers involved in the investigation for their professionalism.
IGP Egbetokun reiterated the NPF-NCC’s commitment to safeguarding Ngeria’s digital and financial ecosystems, dismantling cybercriminal networks, and ensuring that offenders are held accountable regardless of position or affiliation.
