Police Crack International Cybercrime Rings, Bust ₦7.7bn MTN Fraud Syndicate, Arrest Investment Scammers and Fake News Peddlers

By Pan Afric Reporters | Abuja

The Nigeria Police Force has recorded a major breakthrough in its nationwide crackdown on cybercrime and organised financial fraud, dismantling multiple criminal syndicates involved in international online scams, cryptocurrency fraud, identity theft, fake news dissemination, and a multi-billion-naira telecommunications fraud that caused an estimated ₦7.7 billion loss to MTN Nigeria.

The operations, carried out by the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC), led to the arrest of several suspects across Delta, Lagos, Kano, Katsina, Edo and the Federal Capital Territory, while sophisticated digital equipment, luxury vehicles, cash and electronic devices used in the commission of the crimes were recovered.

The details were contained in a press briefing issued by the Nigeria Police Force and signed by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Anietie Okokon Edem Iniedu, ANIPR.

At the briefing, the Police said the coordinated operations underscore the Force’s renewed commitment under the leadership of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, to combating cybercrime, protecting critical national infrastructure, disrupting organised criminal networks and safeguarding Nigeria’s digital economy.

International cyber fraud syndicate dismantled

One of the major breakthroughs recorded by the Police involved the dismantling of an international cyber-enabled fraud syndicate operating from Asaba, Delta State.

Acting on intelligence supplied by the National Crime Agency (NCA) of the British High Commission, operatives stormed a suspected scam centre on July 4 after obtaining a court warrant.

Six suspects — Roland Stephen, Oligoron Francis Brakemi, Obasi Obinna Benjamin, Obasi Chris Chibueze, Ogbuzuru Destiny and Osakwe Chidima — were arrested.

Recovered from the suspects were a Mercedes-Benz GLK SUV, eleven mobile phones, a laptop computer, a tablet device, a wristwatch and a Starlink satellite communication system.

Preliminary forensic analysis, according to the Police, revealed evidence of online impersonation of internationally recognised personalities used to defraud foreign victims.

Joint Nigeria-UK operation targets Telegram cybercrime network

In another major success, the Police announced the arrest of four suspects linked to Operation Seraphim, a joint operation between the NPF-NCCC and the City of London Police.

The suspects allegedly belonged to a transnational cybercrime syndicate operating across 434 Telegram chat groups, specialising in the sale of stolen personal and financial information belonging mainly to United Kingdom citizens.

Investigators recovered stolen driver’s licences, banking credentials, identity cards, credit card information and digital evidence relating to cryptocurrency fraud, PayPal scams, romance scams and gift card fraud.

Police said investigations are continuing to apprehend the alleged ringleader, David Augustine, and other fleeing members of the international syndicate.

Police uncover fake investment platform

The Force also uncovered a sophisticated online investment scam falsely presented as being affiliated with the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) and purportedly endorsed by renowned economist Yemi Kale.

Three suspects, including two Chinese nationals identified as Zhu Tian Yu and Qu Yuan Bin, alongside Thomas Daniel, were arrested.

According to investigators, unsuspecting investors were recruited through a WhatsApp group known as “Stock Risk Control Center” and persuaded to invest in what was advertised as a high-yield investment scheme.

Police investigations established that about ₦29.81 million was fraudulently collected from victims before being converted into USDT cryptocurrency and transferred to wallets controlled by the alleged mastermind, identified simply as Nandi, who remains at large.

Social media users face prosecution over fake videos

The Police also announced the arrest of Ifechukwu David Ugwa, accused of circulating a manipulated video containing authentic footage of social media activist Martins Vincent Otse (VeryDarkMan) combined with fabricated audio falsely attributed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

According to investigators, the doctored content falsely portrayed the President as deliberately sustaining insecurity in Nigeria for political purposes.

Electronic devices and several social media accounts linked to the suspect, including the TikTok account RATEL TV with approximately 127,000 followers, were recovered during investigations.

Similarly, another suspect, Stephen Omoregie, was arrested in Benin City over a viral Facebook video falsely claiming that nearly 1,000 Boko Haram terrorists had been deployed to Abuja.

The Police disclosed that the false publication generated over 11 million views and approximately 13,000 shares, creating panic among residents before investigations established that the claims were entirely baseless.

Both matters have been recommended for prosecution.

Police uncover ₦7.7bn MTN billing fraud

Perhaps the biggest breakthrough announced during the briefing was the exposure of a massive fraud targeting MTN Nigeria’s billing infrastructure.

Police said investigations commenced following a complaint by MTN over the unauthorised use of staff login credentials to manipulate the company’s billing platform.

Six suspects — Ahmad Bala, Karibu Mohammed Shehu, Umar Habib, Obinna Ananaba, Ibrahim Shehu and Masa’ud Sa’ad — were arrested, while several principal suspects remain on the run.

Recovered during coordinated operations in Kano, Katsina and Abuja were over 400 laptops, more than 1,000 mobile phones, three Point-of-Sale terminals, a Toyota RAV4 vehicle, $9,800 in cash, ₦100,000 and extensive digital evidence.

Police investigations revealed that insiders allegedly collaborated with external accomplices to illegally generate airtime which was converted into data bundles and distributed across more than 2,016 prepaid lines.

The criminal operation allegedly resulted in losses estimated at ₦7.7 billion.

Investigators, however, disclosed that MTN successfully reversed 2,931.79 terabytes of fraudulently generated data valued at approximately ₦3.8 billion, significantly reducing the overall financial impact.

IGP reaffirms commitment against cybercrime

The Nigeria Police Force said investigations into all the cases remain ongoing, with efforts intensified to apprehend fleeing suspects and dismantle the criminal networks completely.

The Force reaffirmed its determination to leverage intelligence, digital forensics and international partnerships in combating cybercrime, financial fraud, terrorism financing and other technology-enabled crimes threatening Nigeria’s economy and national security.

The Police also assured Nigerians that offenders would be diligently investigated and prosecuted in accordance with the Cybercrimes Act and other relevant laws, while urging members of the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious online activities to law enforcement authorities.