The Police Special Fraud Unit in Ikoyi, have arraigned two students, Timothy Fashina Oluwabukola and Anthony Imonina Odemerho, at a Federal High Court in Lagos for allegedly hacking MTN Nigeria Communication Plc’s computers and stealing airtime and data valued at N1.9 billion.
Oluwabukola and Odemerho were said to be students of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY), Abeokuta, Ogun State, and Resign Regal Academy in Benin City, Edo State, respectively.
The two men were arraigned before Justice Akintayo Aluko on a four-count of conspiracy, unauthorised access into the company’s web-based platform, known as Application Programming Interface (API) and unlawful conversion.
The two defendants however pleaded not guilty to the four counts, following which the police lawyer, Justine Enang, sought for a trial date, and urged the court to remand them in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCoS) till the determination of the charge.
But the defence lawyers informed the court that they had filed their clients’ bail applications and same had been served on the prosecutor. The prosecutor confirmed being served with the applications, but told the court that he was served during proceedings.
He asked the court for a short date to enable him study the applications and respond to same accordingly. Consequently, Justice Aluko adjourned further hearing of the matter to August 5, for hearing of the defendants’ bail applications.
The duo and others said to be at large, were alleged to have committed the offences between January and April this year, in Lagos and Edo states.
Addressing the court, police lawyer, Justine Enang, alleged that the defendants conspired and accessed the telco’s Application Programming Interface (API) and obtained data from the said application, which they used to defraud MTN to the tune of N1.9 billion.
He informed the court that the alleged illegal acts of the defendants, contravened Section 27(1)(b); 6(2) and 28(1)(b) of the Cybercrime (prohibition, prevention, etc) Act, 2015 as amended in 2024, but punishable under Section 8(2) of the same Act.
He added that the offences contravened section 18(2)(b) of the Money Laundering (Prevention And Prohibition) Act, 2022, punishable under Section 18(3) of the same Act.
