MTN Nigeria Communication Plc has been defrauded of N1.9 billion by hackers, who allegedly hacked into the company’s system and stole airtime and data.
However, two of the hackers have been arrested and arraigned before a Lagos Federal High Court by the operatives of the Special Fraud Unit of the Nigeria Police, Ikoyi-Lagos.
The two alleged hackers, Timothy Fashina Oluwabukola and Anthony Imonina Odemerho are students of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY) Abeokuta, Ogun State, and proprietors of Resign Regal Academy in Benin City, Edo State, respectively.
They 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 two men and others at large were alleged to have committed the offences between January and April this year in Lagos and Edo States.
The prosecutor, Barrister Justine Enang, while arraigning the defendants and others at large, conspired among themselves and accessed MTN’s Application Programming Interface (API) and obtained data from the said application, which they used to defraud the company (MTN) to the tune of N1.9 billion.
He also 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 also informed the court that the offences are contrary to 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 denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to the four counts charge.
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 Nigerian Correctional Services (NCoS) till the determination of the charge.
But their lawyers informed the court that they had filed their clients’ bail applications and the same have been served on the prosecutor.
In response, 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 to study the applications and respond accordingly.
Consequently, Justice Aluko adjourned the matter to August 5, for a hearing of the defendants’ bail applications.
Charges against the defendants read; “That you, Timothy Fashina Oluwabukola, Anthony Imonina Odemerho and others at large, between January and April 2024, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this honourable 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 One Billion, Nine Hundred Million Naira (N1,900,000,000), 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.
“That you, Timothy Fashina Oluwabukola, Anthony Imonina Odemerho and Others at large, between January and April 2024, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, intentionally and without authorization, accessed the computer system or network of MTN Nigeria Communication Pie through the unlawful use of authorization keys and passwords to gain access to MTN web-based platform known as Application Programming Interface (API), with the intent of obtaining airtime data from the said computer system or network, valued at One Billion, Nine Hundred Million Naira N1, 900, 000, 000), which you sold to the public and converted the proceeds of same to your use and benefit, and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 6(2) of the Cybercrime (prevention, prohibition, etc) Act, 2015 is amended in 2024.
“That you, Timothy Fashina Oluwabukola, Anthony Imonina Odemerho and others at large, between January and April 2024, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, unlawfully manipulated MTN Nigeria Communications Plc (MTN) computer system authorization keys or passwords which you used to access MTN. the web-based platform also known as Application Programme Interface (API) and fraudulently obtained airtime from the said computer system, valued at N1,900,000,000 (One billion, Nine hundred Million Naira) which you later converted to data and sold to the public and thereby caused financial loss to MTN Nigeria Communications Plc and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 28(1)(b) of the cybercrime (prohibition, prevention, etc) Act, 2015 as amended in 2024, but punishable under Section 28(4) of the same Act.
“That you, Timothy Fashina Oluwabukola, Anthony Imonina Odemerho and hers at large, between January and April 2024, in Lagos and Edo States, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, directly and intentionally converted MTN Nigeria Communications Plc property to wit: airtime valued One Billion, Nine Hundred Million Naira (N1, 900, 000, 000) to data which you sold to members of the public and later used the proceeds for your benefits, which property/airtime, you knew or reasonably ought to have known formed part of the proceeds of unlawful act, namely unauthorized access into MIN computer system/network where the property/airtime was stored, and thereby committed an offence, contrary to Section 18(2)(b) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 but punishable under Section 18(3) of the same Act.”
