The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) said operatives of its National Cybercrime Centre (NPF–NCCC) arrested six suspects over an alleged N7.7 billion in telecommunication fraud.

The force public relations officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, said this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.

He said the suspects were 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.

Mr Hundeyin said the suspects were arrested following a petition by a Nigerian telecommunications company over suspicious and unauthorised activities within its billing and payments infrastructure.

The police spokesman said investigations revealed that internal staff login credentials had been compromised, granting the actors unlawful access to core systems.

“Following weeks of planning, coordinated enforcement operations were executed in October 2025 in Kano State  and Katsina, with a follow-up arrest in the Federal Capital Territory.

“The operation led to the arrest of six suspects, recovery of two residential houses in Kano, two mini-plazas, GSM, and laptop retail outlets.

“The retail outlets contain over 400 laptops, 1,000 mobile phones, and a Toyota RAV4 vehicle, suspected to be proceeds of the crime,” he said.

According to him, substantial sums of money traced to the suspects’ accounts were also recovered.

He said the suspects would be charged to court upon completion of the investigation.

Mr Hundeyin said Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun commended the officers involved in the investigation for their professionalism.

He said the IGP pledged the resolve of the force, through the NPF–NCCC, to safeguard Nigeria’s digital and financial ecosystems, dismantle cybercriminal networks, and ensure that offenders were held accountable.

(NAN)