The Nigeria Police Force has taken 21 individuals into custody regarding a variety of cyber-related offenses, including a major security breach at MTN Nigeria. CSP Anietie Okonko Iniedu, the Force Public Relations Officer, stated that the National Cybercrime Centre led these enforcement actions.
The MTN investigation began after the company discovered its billing and payment infrastructure had been compromised using unauthorized staff credentials. Allegedly, the suspects funneled airtime to various mobile numbers, converting them into massive amounts of data across 2,000 prepaid lines. This scheme reportedly resulted in a ₦7.7 billion loss, though the company successfully intercepted 2,931.79 terabytes of data worth roughly ₦3.8 billion.
In a separate operation in Asaba, Delta State, authorities broke up an international fraud ring. Six people were arrested for pretending to be well-known global figures to cheat victims abroad, an action initiated by intelligence provided by the British National Crime Agency. Furthermore, a collaboration with the City of London Police, dubbed Operation Seraphim, resulted in the capture of four suspects accused of running a Telegram network that trafficked stolen financial data from United Kingdom residents.
Additional cases involve a fake investment platform mimicking the Nigerian Exchange that swindled victims out of ₦29.8 million through cryptocurrency channels. Police also detained suspects for circulating a deepfake video involving social media figure Martins Vincent Otse, as well as spreading false rumors on Facebook about Boko Haram operatives entering Abuja. While nine primary suspects are still being sought, the police emphasize that these individuals are currently considered innocent pending trial.
