Police bust syndicate over N7.7bn telecoms hack, recover 400 laptops, 1,000 phones
Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force have arrested six suspects for allegedly hacking into the core systems of a telecommunications company and diverting airtime and mobile data valued at over N7.7bn.
The suspects — Ahmad Bala, Karibu Mohammed Shehu, Umar Habib, Obinna Ananaba, Ibrahim Shehu and Masa’ud Sa’ad were arrested following coordinated raids in Kano and Katsina states, with a follow-up arrest in the Federal Capital Territory, the police said on Wednesday.
In a statement, the Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed that investigators recovered two mini plazas converted to retail hubs, over 400 laptops, about 1,000 mobile phones and a Toyota vehicle believed to have been used for the operation.
Hundeyin said a “substantial” sum of money traced to proceeds of the crime had also been identified in the suspects’ bank accounts, as detectives deepened efforts to unravel the syndicate’s wider network.
According to the police, the breakthrough followed a petition by the affected telecommunications company, which reported suspicious and unauthorised activities within its billing and payment systems.
“Investigations revealed that internal staff login credentials had been compromised, granting threat actors unlawful access to core systems,” the statement read.
“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 N7.7bn.”
The police said the operation, which involved weeks of surveillance and intelligence gathering, led to the dismantling of what they described as a sophisticated cybercrime ring exploiting digital vulnerabilities in the telecoms sector.
The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, commended officers involved in the investigation for their professionalism, while assuring Nigerians that the force would intensify efforts to curb cyber-enabled financial crimes.
Hundeyin added that the suspects would be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations.
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