The Nigeria Police Force has arrested 21 suspects in separate cybercrime operations across the country, including individuals accused of manipulating MTN Nigeria’s billing system in a fraud allegedly valued at ₦7.7 billion.
The arrests were disclosed on Thursday by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Anietie Okonko Iniedu, who said the operations were carried out by the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) as part of its ongoing efforts to combat cyber-related offences.
According to the police, the investigation into the MTN case commenced after the telecommunications company reported the alleged unauthorised use of staff login credentials to gain access to its billing and payment platforms.
Investigators alleged that the suspects exploited the system to credit airtime to selected mobile phone numbers before converting the airtime into data bundles, which were subsequently distributed to more than 2,000 prepaid lines.
The police said the alleged fraudulent activities resulted in estimated losses of about ₦7.7 billion. However, MTN was reportedly able to recover 2,931.79 terabytes of data, which the company valued at approximately ₦3.8 billion.
In another operation, the NPF-NCCC announced that it dismantled a suspected international cyber fraud syndicate operating in Asaba, Delta State.
Six suspects were arrested during the operation over allegations that they impersonated internationally recognised personalities to deceive and defraud foreign victims.
The police explained that the operation was launched following intelligence received from the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA) through the British High Commission in Abuja.
The statement further revealed that the NPF-NCCC, working alongside the City of London Police under Operation Seraphim, arrested four additional suspects allegedly connected to a Telegram-based cybercrime network.
The suspects are accused of stealing and selling the personal and financial information of mainly United Kingdom citizens through the messaging platform.
In a separate investigation, three suspects were arrested over an alleged fake online investment scheme that falsely claimed affiliation with the Nigerian Exchange.
Police alleged that victims lost about ₦29.8 million through the fraudulent platform, with the proceeds reportedly traced to cryptocurrency wallets linked to the suspected operators.
The Force also confirmed the arrest of one suspect accused of circulating a manipulated video featuring social media influencer Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan.
According to investigators, the video contained audio that was falsely attributed to President Bola Tinubu.
Another suspect was apprehended over a viral Facebook post alleging that nearly 1,000 Boko Haram members had been deployed to Abuja.
The police described the claim as false, misleading and capable of creating unnecessary fear and public panic.
Providing an update on the investigations, the Force Public Relations Officer disclosed that nine principal suspects connected to the various cases are still on the run.
He added that efforts are ongoing to identify, locate and arrest all individuals allegedly linked to the cybercrime networks.
The Nigeria Police Force reiterated its commitment to tackling cybercrime and safeguarding both individuals and organisations from digital fraud and other online criminal activities.
The police also emphasised that investigations into all the cases are continuing and reminded the public that all suspects remain presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.
