The Police Special Fraud Unit, Ikoyi, Lagos, has brought two students, Timothy Oluwabukola and Anthony Odemerho before a Federal High Court sitting 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 men were arraigned before Justice Akintayo Aluko, on a four-count charge of conspiracy, unauthorized access into the company’s web-based platform known as Application Programming Interface, API, and unlawful conversion.
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.
Prosecution counsel 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.
The two defendants pleaded not guilty to the four counts charge.
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Following their not guilty plea, the prosecutor asked the court for a trial date, and urged the court to remand them in the custody of the prison 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 while the proceedings were on.
He asked the court for a short date to enable him study the applications and respond to same accordingly.
Consequently, Justice Aluko adjourned till August 5, for hearing of the defendants’ bail applications.
The charges against the defendants read; “That you, Timothy Oluwabukola, Anthony Odemerho and others at large, between January and April, 2024, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this court, conspired amongst yourselves to intentionally and without authorization, gained access into MTN Nigeria Communications Plc computer system/network, with intent to obtain data from the said computer system/network, which you subsequently used to defraud the company (MTN) to the tune of (N1.9billion, and thereby committed an offence, contrary to Section 27(1)(b) of the Cybercrime (prohibition, prevention, etc) Act, 2015 as amended in 2024, but punishable under Section 8(2) of the same Act.
