A Federal High Court in Lagos has granted N50 million bail each to Timothy Oluwabukola and Anthony Odemerho, students from Moshood Abiola Polytechnic and Resign Regal Academy respectively, who are accused of hacking into MTN Nigeria’s computers and stealing airtime and data valued at N1.9 billion.
Justice Akintayo Aluko granted bail after considering two separate applications filed by the defendants. In addition to the bail sum, the court ordered each defendant to provide two sureties. One must be a civil servant in federal or Lagos State employment, at grade level 14 or above. The other surety must own property within the court’s jurisdiction, provide evidence of ownership, and swear to an affidavit of means.
The civil servant surety must also provide a reference letter from their workplace and a letter of last promotion. The defendants are required to submit two recent passport photographs to the court registrar. The prosecution is tasked with verifying all documents submitted by the sureties, including their residential addresses.
Until their bail conditions are met, the defendants will remain in the Correctional Centre.
Oluwabukola and Odemerho were arraigned on July 30, 2024, by the Police Special Fraud Unit on four counts related to conspiracy, unauthorized access to MTN’s web-based platform (Application Programming Interface), and unlawful conversion. The police allege that between January and April 2024, the defendants hacked into the MTN platform and stole N1.9 billion worth of airtime and data.
The charges against them contravene Sections 27(1)(b), 6(2), and 28(1)(b) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015, as amended, and Section 18(2)(b) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. The defendants have pleaded not guilty.
Following their plea, the prosecutor requested a trial date and sought to remand the defendants in custody until the case is resolved. The defense counsel, however, noted that bail applications had already been filed and served on the prosecution, which confirmed receipt during the proceedings.
Justice Aluko has adjourned the case to August 5, 2024, for a hearing on the bail applications.
