Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) have arrested six suspects for allegedly hacking into a telecommunication company in Nigeria to divert airtime and mobile data worth N7.7 billion.
A statement on Wednesday by Benjamin Hundeyin, the force
spokesperson, said the suspects allegedly gained unlawful access to the core
systems of the telecommunication company.
The suspects are Ahmad Bala, Karibu Mohammed Shehu, Umar
Habib, Obinna Ananaba, Ibrahim Shehu, and Masa’ud Sa’ad.
Hundeyin said operatives recovered two mini plazas, retail
outlets containing over 400 laptops, 1,000 mobile phones, and a Toyota vehicle.
The force spokesperson said a “substantial” amount of money
was traced to the suspects’ bank accounts.
“The syndicate was responsible for the illegal diversion of
a telecommunications company’s airtime and data resources, resulting in an
estimated financial loss of over ₦7.7 billion,” the statement reads.
“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 suspects would be charged to court on the completion of
the investigation.
“Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode
Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM, has commended the officers involved in the
investigation for their professionalism.”
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