T he Police Special Fraud Unit has arraigned two students, Timothy Oluwabukola and Anthony Odemerho, for their alleged involvement in hacking MTN Nigeria Communication Plc’s computers and stealing airtime and data valued at N1.9 billion.
Oluwabukola, a student of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic in Abeokuta, Ogun State, and Odemerho, a student of Resign Regal Academy in Benin City, Edo State, were presented before the Federal High Court in Lagos on Tuesday. They face four counts related to conspiracy, unauthorized access to the company’s web-based platform, known as the Application Programming Interface (API), and unlawful conversion.
The prosecution counsel, Justine Enang, informed the court that the defendants, along with others still at large, committed the alleged offences between January and April 2024 in Lagos and Edo States. Enang detailed that the defendants used the API to obtain data, which was then used to defraud MTN of N1.9 billion.
The charges against the defendants contravene several sections of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act, 2015, as amended in 2024, and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. Specifically, the charges relate to Sections 27(1)(b), 6(2), and 28(1)(b) of the Cybercrime Act, and Section 18(2)(b) of the Money Laundering Act.
The defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges. Following their plea, the prosecution requested a trial date and asked the court to remand them in custody until the case is resolved. However, the defence lawyers indicated that bail applications for the defendants had been filed and served to the prosecutor.
The prosecutor acknowledged receipt of the bail applications and requested additional time to review and respond to them. Consequently, Justice Akintayo Aluko has adjourned the case until August 5, 2024, for the hearing of the bail applications.
0 Comments