MICHAEL AKINOLA
Police detectives from the Zone 2 Command, Onikan, Lagos, have uncovered how a 26-year old suspected hacker, Omeje Chigozie and his accomplice, Andrew Iren, 29, allegedly hacked into Shago POS terminal and carted away over N942m within a month, which caused havoc to the company’s financial base.
PMEXPRESS reports that the suspects, Chigozie and Iren, were later tracked and arrested at Odugunyah area of Ikorodu, Lagos, where the syndicate operated from.
Police investigation revealed that the suspects and others still at large conspired and manipulated Shago Payment Investment Limited’s portal, tempered with their functional payment of the computer system and diverted the said money.
This happened between June and July, 2023 and while the manipulation was going on in the functional computer system of the company, the syndicate ensured that the company did not know, which made the stealing to have lasted for one month.
When the company later discovered, they wrote a petition to the AIG and asked the Police to investigate, which prompted the arrest of the suspects and they were detained at Zone 2 Command for interrogation in order to know how they were able to temper with the company system.
Police sources stated that the suspects did not reveal much as they were said to have not divulge information on how the syndicate operated and diverted the money.
After rounds of interrogation, the Police found them culpable and consequently charged them before the Ebute Metta Magistrate Court for the alleged conspiracy and stealing, which contravened Sections 411, 287 and 12 of the cybercrime law.
However, they pleaded not guilty when they were arraigned.
The prosecutor, Barrister Jimoh Joseph, then asked the Court to give a date for hearing since they pleaded not guilty to enable the Police to prove that they actually committed the alleged offence.
The Presiding Magistrate, Mrs. F.M. Kayode-Alamu, granted them bail in the sum of N1m each with sureties in like sum.
The Court also directed that the sureties must be on level 16 in the public service and show prove of payment of 10 years of tax and addresses verified by the Court.
They were remanded in custody at the Correctional Centre pending when they will perfect their bail conditions while the matter was adjourned having come up on 31st October, 2023, for mention.