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Police Arrest Suspects In ₦7.7bn MTN Cybercrime Fraud

by admin on | 2026-07-10 18:36:04

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Police Arrest Suspects In ₦7.7bn MTN Cybercrime Fraud

By Mohammad Bala Imam 

The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) has uncovered a major cybercrime network that allegedly defrauded MTN Nigeria of about ₦7.7 billion while also arresting suspects linked to the spread of false information and manipulated online content capable of causing public panic.

Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Anietie Okokon, disclosed the developments during a press briefing, saying the arrests formed part of the police's sustained efforts to combat cybercrime, online misinformation and financial fraud across the country.

The most significant operation involved the dismantling of a syndicate accused of compromising MTN Nigeria's billing and payment systems through stolen staff login credentials.

According to the police, the suspects fraudulently credited airtime to selected mobile numbers before converting it into data bundles distributed to more than 2,016 prepaid lines, resulting in an estimated loss of ₦7.7 billion.

Six suspects Ahmad Bala, Karibu Mohammed Shehu, Umar Habib, Obinna Ananaba, Ibrahim Shehu and Masa'ud Sa'ad were arrested during coordinated operations in Kano, Katsina and Abuja, while several other principal suspects remain at large.

Recovered exhibits include more than 400 laptops, over 1,000 mobile phones, three Point-of-Sale (POS) machines, a Toyota RAV4 vehicle, $9,800 in cash, ₦100,000, as well as financial records, bank statements and digital evidence linked to the alleged fraud.

Police investigations revealed that the syndicate allegedly involved collusion between internal MTN staff and external accomplices who exploited Remote Access Service (RAS) tools to gain unauthorised access to the telecommunications company's systems.

The fraudulently generated airtime and data were reportedly sold to unsuspecting vendors through WhatsApp groups and data trading platforms.

The police added that MTN successfully reversed 2,931.79 terabytes of stolen data valued at about ₦3.8 billion, while efforts are ongoing to arrest other members of the network.

In a separate case, operatives arrested Ifechukwu David Ugwa in Delta State over the alleged publication of a manipulated video featuring social media personality Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan.

Investigators said authentic footage of the influencer was synchronised with fabricated audio falsely attributed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

According to the police, the suspect admitted uploading the doctored video through his TikTok account, "RATEL TV," which has about 127,000 followers.

Investigators also recovered digital evidence, including the manipulated video and records allegedly showing the use of the Snaptik application to remove TikTok watermarks before republishing the content. The case has been recommended for prosecution.

The police also arrested Stephen Omoregie in Benin City, Edo State, for allegedly spreading false security information through his Facebook page, "OKUTA NA EDO (Righteous Blog)," which has about 157,000 followers.

Investigators said the suspect published a viral video claiming that nearly 1,000 Boko Haram members had been deployed to Abuja and urged residents to evacuate the Federal Capital Territory.

The post reportedly generated about 11 million views and more than 13,000 shares before investigations established that the claims were unsubstantiated and capable of inciting panic and undermining national security efforts.

Police said Omoregie admitted publishing the information without verifying its authenticity, adding that the matter has also been recommended for prosecution.

The NPF-NCCC reiterated its commitment to tackling cyber-enabled crimes, online disinformation and financial fraud, warning that individuals who exploit digital platforms to spread false information or perpetrate cybercrime will be investigated and prosecuted in accordance with the law.