Timothy Oluwabukola and Anthony Odemerho, students of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic and Resign Regal Academy respectively, have been arraigned by the Police Special Fraud Unit. They are accused of hacking MTN Nigeria Communication Plc’s computers to steal airtime and data worth N1.9bn.
On Tuesday, Oluwabukola and Odemerho were brought before the Federal High Court in Lagos to face four charges relating to conspiracy. The police have accused them of unlawfully accessing the company’s web-based platform called Application Programming Interface without authorisation and converting funds illegally.
According to Justine Enang, the prosecution counsel for the police, the accused committed offenses in collaboration with other individuals who are currently not apprehended.
Enang informed the court that Oluwabukola and Odemerho, who are reportedly learners at Moshood Abiola Polytechnic Abeokuta in Ogun State and Resign Regal Academy in Benin City, Edo State respectively had carried out the crimes somewhere within Lagos and Edo States during January to April 2024.
According to him, the accused worked together and managed to infiltrate the telecommunication company’s Application Programming Interface. Through hacking MTN they were able to extract valuable information which was used maliciously in order to scam MTN out of an incredible N1.9bn sum of money.
The prosecutor indicated that the committed offences breached provisions in Sections 27(1)(b), 6(2), and 28(1)(b) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act of 2015 as amended in 2024. However, they are punishable under Section8(2) of the same act.
In addition, he stated that the transgressions violated Section 18(2)(b) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act of 2022 and are subject to penalties as per Section 18(3) in accordance with this legislation.
The accused entered a plea of not guilty regarding the charges leveled against them.
After they pleaded not guilty, the prosecutor requested a trial date and urged for them to be held in custody at a correctional center until their charge is resolved.
The defence lawyers told the court that they submitted their clients’ bail applications and provided them to the prosecutor.
The prosecutor acknowledged receipt of the applications but informed the court that they were served while proceedings were underway.
He requested the court to set a near deadline so that he can review and address the applications appropriately.
As a result, Justice Akintayo Aluko postponed the case’s hearing of the defendants’ bail applications to August 5th, 2024.
Punch news online report.
