Police arrest 21 over cybercrime, uncover ₦7.7bn MTN fraud

Police detail MTN billing system breach

The Nigeria Police Force has arrested 21 suspected cybercriminals involved in multiple cybercrime operations, including the alleged manipulation of MTN Nigeria's billing system that resulted in an estimated loss of ₦7.7 billion.

Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Anietie Okonkon Iniedu, disclosed the arrests in a statement issued on Thursday night, highlighting major breakthroughs recorded by the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC).

According to the statement, investigations into the MTN fraud commenced after the telecommunications company reported the unauthorised use of staff login credentials to compromise its billing and payment systems.

Iniedu said the suspects allegedly manipulated the platform by fraudulently crediting airtime to selected mobile numbers before converting the airtime into data bundles distributed across more than 2,016 prepaid lines.

The suspects fraudulently credited airtime to selected mobile numbers and converted it into data bundles distributed to more than 2,016 prepaid lines, resulting in estimated losses of ₦7.7 billion.

— CSP Anietie Okonkon Iniedu, Force Public Relations Officer, Nigeria Police Force

The police spokesperson added that MTN was able to recover 2,931.79 terabytes of stolen data valued at about ₦3.8 billion during the course of the investigation.

International syndicate and Telegram network targeted

In another operation, the NPF-NCCC dismantled a suspected international cyber fraud syndicate operating in Asaba, Delta State, leading to the arrest of six suspects accused of impersonating internationally recognised personalities to defraud foreign victims.

According to Iniedu, the operation followed actionable intelligence received from the National Crime Agency (NCA) through the British High Commission in Abuja.

He further disclosed that the cybercrime centre, working in collaboration with the City of London Police under Operation Seraphim, arrested four suspects linked to a Telegram-based cybercrime network allegedly responsible for stealing and selling the personal and financial information of predominantly United Kingdom citizens.

These arrests form part of the wider operations announced by the police as they pursue multiple cybercrime cases across jurisdictions.

Fake investment platform under investigation

The police also arrested three suspects over the operation of a fake online investment platform allegedly presented as being affiliated with the Nigerian Exchange.

Iniedu said investigations revealed that the suspects allegedly defrauded unsuspecting investors of about ₦29.8 million.

According to him, the proceeds of the fraud were traced to cryptocurrency wallets linked to the alleged mastermind and his associates.

The case adds to the range of cyber-enabled financial crimes being investigated by the police cybercrime centre.

Arrests over doctored and false online content

The statement also disclosed the arrest of one suspect for allegedly circulating a doctored video featuring social media influencer Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, with manipulated audio falsely attributed to President Bola Tinubu.

In a separate case, another suspect was arrested for allegedly posting a viral Facebook video claiming that nearly 1,000 Boko Haram members had been deployed to Abuja.

The police described the claim as false, saying it was capable of causing widespread public panic.

Police say more suspects remain at large

Iniedu said nine principal suspects connected with the various cybercrime cases remain at large.

He added that investigations were ongoing to dismantle the remaining criminal networks and ensure that all those involved were apprehended and prosecuted.

The investigations are ongoing to dismantle the remaining criminal networks and bring all those involved to justice.

— CSP Anietie Okonkon Iniedu, Force Public Relations Officer, Nigeria Police Force