A significant development unfolded at the Federal High Court in Lagos as bail of N50 million each was granted to two students from Moshood Abiola Polytechnic and Resign Regal Academy, identified as Timothy Oluwabukola and Anthony Odemerho. The students were alleged to have engaged in the hacking of MTN Nigeria Communication computers, leading to the unauthorized acquisition of airtime and data valued at N1.9 billion.
Following the submission of two separate bail applications by the defendants, Justice Akintayo Aluko sanctioned the bail terms.
In tandem with the bail amount, Justice Aluko stipulated requirements for the defendants to produce two sureties each. One of the sureties must be a civil servant in either federal or Lagos State employment, holding a rank of grade level 14 or higher.
The second surety is mandated to possess landed property within the court’s jurisdiction, furnish evidence of ownership, and depose to an affidavit of financial means.
Furthermore, civil servant sureties need to present a work reference letter and the last promotion letter. The defendants are also required to submit two recent passport photographs to the court registrar.
It was mandated that the prosecution verify all documentation provided by the sureties, including their residential addresses.
The court directed the defendants to be held at the Correctional Centre until they meet the bail requirements.
Oluwabukola and Odemerho were brought before the court on July 30, 2024, by the Police Special Fraud Unit.
They are confronted with four counts related to conspiracy, unauthorized access to the company’s web-based platform known as Application Programming Interface, and unlawful conversion—charges pressed by the police.
Justin Enang, the police prosecuting counsel, informed the court about the involvement of the defendants, alongside others who remain at large.
Enang disclosed that Oluwabukola and Odemerho, allegedly students of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic Abeokuta, Ogun State, and Resign Regal Academy in Benin City, Edo State, committed the offenses between January and April 2024, in Lagos and Edo states.
The prosecutor outlined that the duo unlawfully accessed the MTN web-based platform, known as Application Programming Interface, and purloined airtime and data valued at N1.9 billion.
Enang underscored that the actions violated Sections 27(1)(b), 6(2), and 28(1)(b) of the Cybercrime Act of 2015, amended in 2024, carrying penalties under Section 8(2) of the same Act.
Furthermore, the offenses were cited to contravene Section 18(2)(b) of the Money Laundering Act of 2022, punishable under Section 18(3) of the Act.
Despite denying the charges, the defendants pled not guilty.
Upon their plea, the prosecutor requested the fixation of a trial date and urged the court to detain them in a correctional facility until the resolution of the case.
Conversely, the defense counsel notified the court of two bail applications filed and served on the prosecutor.
Acknowledging the receipt of the bail applications during the proceedings, the prosecutor sought a brief adjournment to scrutinize and respond to the submissions.
Subsequently, Justice Aluko postponed the hearing of the defendants’ bail applications to August 5, 2024.