Justice Akintayo Aluko of a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered the remand of a suspected WhatsApp hacker, Stephen Andrew Ojo, over alleged N700,000 fraud.
Justice Aluko ordered that the defendant would remain in the custody of Ikoyi Centre of the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCoS) till January 24, 2024 when his case would be re-opened before a substantive judge.
Stephen was yesterday arraigned before the court by the officers of Zone 2 Police Command, Onikan, Lagos, on a four-count charge of conspiracy, identity theft and obtaining the sum of N700, 000, by false pretence.
The prosecutor, Mr. Zebedee Arekhandia, told the court that the defendant and others now at large, on September 12, 2024, at Ajao Estate, Lagos, conspired among themselves and engaged in identity theft, by hacking the WhatsApp of Mrs. Laraba Shuaibu, and impersonated her.
Arekhandia also informed the court that the alleged hacker and others now at large, used the hacked WhatsApp to fraudulently obtained N700, 000 from Mrs. Osasu Tina Eriamiatoe.
The prosecutor further told the court that the money was paid into the defendant’s Union Bank account and PalmPay account number 9550723433 belonging to one Michael Ijua.
He said the offences committed by the defendant contravened sections 8(a) and 1(3)(a) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.
He also the court that the offences contravened sections Section 24 (2)(a)(b) (i)(ii) and (iii) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015. And Section 15 (1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2022 as amended in 2012.
The defendant, while pleading guilty to the offences, however told the court that he was not the person that committed the alleged crimes.
With his guilty plea and his statement, Justice Aluko recorded ‘not guilty plea’ for him and ordered that he be remanded at Ikoyi centre of NCoS till January 24, 2024, when the court’s chief judge will reassigned his case file to the substantive judge. (The Nation)
