The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) has announced major breakthroughs in its nationwide crackdown on cybercrime, dismantling multiple criminal syndicates involved in international online fraud, cryptocurrency scams, identity theft, fake security alerts, and a massive ₦7.7 billion fraud targeting MTN Nigeria’s billing system.
Addressing journalists during a press briefing, the NPF-NCCC disclosed that a total of 24 suspects were arrested in six separate operations carried out across Delta, Lagos, Edo, Kano, Katsina and the Federal Capital Territory, while several principal suspects remain at large.
The police said the largest case involved a sophisticated syndicate that allegedly manipulated MTN Nigeria’s billing platform through stolen staff login credentials and remote access tools, resulting in losses estimated at about ₦7.7 billion.
According to the police, investigations revealed collusion between some internal MTN staff and external accomplices who fraudulently credited airtime to selected mobile numbers before converting it into data bundles distributed to more than 2,016 prepaid lines.
Six suspects were arrested in connection with the fraud, while over 400 laptops, more than 1,000 mobile phones, three Point-of-Sale machines, a Toyota RAV4 vehicle, 9,000 US dollars, 800 US dollars recovered from another suspect, ₦100,000 cash and extensive digital evidence were seized.
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 syndicate.
In another operation, the NPF-NCCC, acting on intelligence from the National Crime Agency of the British High Commission, dismantled an international cyber-enabled fraud centre in Asaba, Delta State.
Six suspects were arrested during the operation after investigators uncovered evidence that the syndicate impersonated internationally recognised personalities online to defraud foreign victims. Recovered exhibits included a Mercedes-Benz GLK SUV, 11 mobile phones, a laptop, a tablet, a wristwatch and a Starlink satellite internet system.
The police also announced the success of Operation Seraphim, a joint investigation with the City of London Police targeting an international cybercrime network operating across 434 Telegram chat groups.
Four suspects were arrested in Lagos for allegedly trafficking stolen personal and financial information belonging mainly to United Kingdom citizens. Digital evidence recovered included stolen identity documents, online banking credentials, cryptocurrency transaction records, PayPal and gift card fraud records, as well as evidence linked to romance scams. The alleged ringleader, identified as David Augustine, remains at large.
The NPF-NCCC further uncovered an online investment fraud in which suspects allegedly operated a fake investment platform claiming affiliation with the Nigerian Exchange Group and falsely using the image of renowned economist Yemi Kale to lure investors.
Investigators said victims were recruited through a WhatsApp group known as “Stock Risk Control Center” and persuaded to invest large sums of money. About ₦29.8 million was allegedly collected from victims before being converted into USDT cryptocurrency and transferred to digital wallets linked to the mastermind and his collaborators.
Three suspects, including two Chinese nationals, were arrested, while the alleged mastermind identified simply as Nandi remains on the run.
The police also announced the arrest of a social media content creator over the alleged circulation of manipulated digital content involving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to investigators, the suspect, Ifechukwu David Ugwa, allegedly used authentic footage of social media influencer Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, combined with fabricated audio falsely attributed to the President to create a misleading video published through his TikTok account, RATEL TV, which has about 127,000 followers. The case has been recommended for prosecution.
In a related development, operatives arrested Stephen Omoregie over a viral Facebook video alleging that nearly 1,000 Boko Haram members had been deployed to Abuja.
The police said the video, posted through the “OKUTA NA EDO (Righteous Blog)” Facebook account with about 157,000 followers, generated approximately 11 million views and 13,000 shares before investigations established that the claims were entirely false and capable of causing public panic. The suspect reportedly admitted publishing the video after obtaining the information from a TikTok user known as “English Alhaji.”
The Nigeria Police Force said investigations into all six cases are continuing as efforts intensify to arrest fleeing suspects, recover additional proceeds of crime and strengthen collaboration with international law enforcement agencies in tackling cybercrime and other technology-enabled offences.
