COURT REMANDS STUDENT, PROPRIETOR OVER N1.9b MTN AIRTIME AND DATA FRAUD
Justice Akintayo Aluko has ordered the remand of two students accused of hacking into MTN's system and stealing airtime and data worth N1.9 billion.
The defendants, Timothy Fashina Oluwabukola, a student of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY) in Abeokuta, Ogun State, and Anthony Imonina Odemerho, a proprietor of Resign Regal Academy in Benin City, Edo State, were arraigned by the Special Fraud Unit of the Nigeria Police, Ikoyi, Lagos.
Prosecutor Justine Enang stated that the defendants accessed MTN's Application Programming Interface (API) and converted the obtained data and airtime for personal use. They were charged with conspiracy, unauthorized access to the API, and unlawful conversion. The offences were allegedly committed between January and April in Lagos and Edo States, with accomplices still at large.
The charges against the defendants fall under the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015 (as amended in 2024) and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Both defendants pleaded not guilty, and the prosecutor requested their remand until the trial. The defense lawyer has filed bail applications, and the court has adjourned the case to August 5 for the bail hearing.
Comments