The Nigerian Police Special Fraud Unit in Ikoyi, Lagos, has arraigned two students, Timothy Fashina Oluwabukola and Anthony Imonina Odemerho, for allegedly hacking into MTN Nigeria’s computer systems and stealing N1.9 billion worth of airtime and data. The students, from Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY) in Abeokuta and Resign Regal Academy in Benin City, were brought before Justice Akintayo Aluko.
The charges against them include conspiracy, unauthorized access to MTN’s Application Programming Interface (API), and unlawful conversion of the stolen resources. The alleged crimes took place between January and April 2024 in Lagos and Edo states.
Prosecution counsel Justine Enang stated that the defendants accessed MTN’s API and fraudulently converted the stolen airtime into data, actions that violate the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act of 2015 (amended in 2024) and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act of 2022.
Both defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges. The prosecution has requested a trial date and that the accused be remanded in Nigerian Correctional Services custody. Meanwhile, the defense has filed bail applications, which are scheduled for a hearing on August 5. The charges outline the detailed manipulation of MTN’s systems by the defendants and their conversion of the stolen airtime.
