Police Bust N7.7bn Telecom Data Fraud Syndicate, Recover Houses

The Nigeria Police Force has uncovered a massive telecommunications fraud syndicate that allegedly compromised a telecom company’s billing system and fraudulently generated data worth over N7.7 billion.

The operation by the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre, NPF-NCCC, led to multiple arrests and the recovery of nearly N90 million, two houses, a mini-plaza and a Toyota RAV4 believed to be proceeds of the crime.

—Billing system hacked, data converted to bundles—

Police said the investigation began after a leading telecom provider petitioned the NPF-NCCC over unauthorised use of staff login credentials and compromise of its network.

Investigators say the suspects infiltrated the company’s billing infrastructure between Oct 1 and Nov 28, 2024. During that period they fraudulently generated airtime, converted it into data bundles and distributed them through a network of vendors across the country.

The fraud ran into billions of naira before the telecom company detected the breach and alerted security agencies.

In a statement Thursday, NPF-NCCC spokesperson DSP Unwana Imah said preliminary findings showed the syndicate operated a sophisticated network involving insiders and external collaborators.

The first phase of the operation led to several arrests and the recovery of over 400 laptops, 1,000 mobile phones, POS machines, cash and other incriminating materials.

The affected telecom company also reversed about 2,931.79 terabytes of fraudulently acquired data valued at roughly N3.8 billion.

A second wave of coordinated raids in May 2026 across Kano, Katsina and Zamfara led to the arrest of key suspects including Musa Muhammed Kwandi, Nura Sadauki and Aminu Muhammed. Others picked up were IT specialist Musa Hassan Mohammed, Samson Alisigwe and Yusuf Shehu.

Financial investigations and asset tracing showed the suspects benefited substantially from the illicit proceeds.

“As part of the recovery process, operatives traced and recovered almost N90 million, two residential houses in Kano State, a mini-plaza and a Toyota RAV4 vehicle believed to have been acquired from proceeds of the criminal enterprise,” the statement said.

—Police vow to intensify cybercrime fight—

The NPF-NCCC said investigations are ongoing to identify more members of the syndicate, recover additional assets and ensure prosecution.

Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu reaffirmed the force’s commitment to protecting Nigeria’s critical digital infrastructure and intensifying the fight against cybercrime.

He urged the public with useful information on cyber-related crimes to report through the NPF-NCCC e-reporting portal and other official channels.