Crime
Police Arrest Hacker Who Stole Over N1 Billion From Enugu Government System
14 land documents recovered as proceeds of crime, 685 devices recovered comprising 467 phones, 137 laptops, 46 routers, four star link, 28 desktop, four servers and a drone
Abuja, Nigeria– The Nigerian Police have arrested a notorious cybercriminal, identified as Onuma Osita, for hacking into the Enugu State Government’s financial system and siphoning over N1 billion.
The operation, carried out by the Nigeria Police Force-National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC), successfully traced the illicit transaction and recovered the stolen funds.
According to police spokesperson Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the funds, valued at approximately $754,977, have been returned to the state government’s account.
During a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, Adejobi revealed that the cybercrime involved procurement fraud and highlighted the collaborative efforts of law enforcement agencies in bringing Osita to justice.
“The NPF-NCCC investigated a report by the Enugu State Government and tracked down the suspect, who defrauded the state of over N1 billion,” Adejobi stated.
Adejobi said, “The suspect was arrested and the sum off N1,097,700,300 approximately $754,977 was recovered and returned to the Enugu State Government.
“14 land documents recovered as proceeds of crime, 685 devices recovered comprising 467 phones, 137 laptops, 46 routers, four star link, 28 desktop, four servers and a drone.”
He said operatives also apprehended a suspected cybercriminal, Douglass Victor, who was linked to a syndicate specializing in identity theft, business email compromise, computer-related fraud and money laundering.
He explained that the syndicate, allegedly led by one Diepreye Samuel, operated internationally, targeting companies and individuals through compromised email communications to divert funds for personal use.
“During interrogation, the suspect confessed to customers’ email addresses and passwords, compromising business conversations, and diverting funds to their syndicate.
“Thousands of compromised email credentials and login details were recovered from his Skype account. The suspect further disclosed that the syndicate operates internationally, with members located across the globe.
“Communication and transactions among the members are conducted exclusively through Skype, making their operations highly elusive. Efforts are currently in top gear to track and apprehend the head of the syndicate and other members who remain at large,” Adejobi said.