Two Nigerian students have found themselves at the center of a high-profile cybercrime case, as the Nigerian Police Special Fraud Unit charges them with hacking into MTN Nigeria’s systems and allegedly stealing a staggering N1.9 billion worth of airtime and data.
Timothy Fashina Oluwabukola, a student at Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY) in Abeokuta, and Anthony Imonina Odemerho from Resign Regal Academy in Benin City were arraigned before Justice Akintayo Aluko. They face serious charges including conspiracy, unauthorized access to MTN’s Application Programming Interface (API), and unlawful conversion.
The alleged crimes took place between January and April 2024 across Lagos and Edo states.
According to prosecution counsel Justine Enang, the defendants accessed MTN’s API, using the stolen data to manipulate the system, a clear violation of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015, as amended in 2024, as well as the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Both students have pleaded not guilty to the charges. During the proceedings, the prosecution requested a trial date and sought the court’s permission to remand the accused in Nigerian Correctional Services custody. Meanwhile, the defense has filed applications for bail.
Justice Aluko has set a hearing for these bail applications on August 5, as the court navigates this intricate case of alleged cyber theft that raises significant concerns about security in Nigeria’s telecommunications sector.
The details of the case reveal a sophisticated manipulation of MTN’s systems, highlighting the growing challenges posed by cybercrime in the digital age.