Metro News

Hackers steal N523m from bank, transfer to 225 accounts

Published

2 years ago

September 22, 2022

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Suspected fraudsters, during a three-day cyber-attack, have hacked a customer’s account domiciled in an old generation bank and fraudulently transferred N523,337,100 from the account to 18 different accounts in the same bank.

The spokesperson for the Police Special Fraud Unit in Ikoyi, Lagos State, SP Eyitayo Johnson, in a statement on Wednesday, said the suspects subsequently transferred the money from the 18 accounts into 225 other accounts domiciled in 22 other banks and financial institutions.

He said the coordinated cyber-attack was carried out on Saturday, April 23, till the early hours of Monday April 25, 2022, before business opened, adding that two suspects had been arrested in connection to the crime.

Johnson said, “The legal section of the Police Special Fraud Unit in Ikoyi-Lagos, headed by CSP E. A. Jackson, has successfully obtained an order of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, for the preservation/forfeiture/attachment of a net sum of N523,337,100 fraudulently transferred by Internet fraudsters who hacked a customer’s account domiciled in one of the old-generation banks and posted the funds into 18 different accounts in the same bank before transmitting same to 225 other accounts in 22 banks/financial institutions.

READ Unsafe vaults: Bank customers lose N472m to fraudsters in three months –Report

“In the course of the investigation, the sum of N160,287,071.47 was recovered from different banks; with two suspects arrested, while operatives are following other leads in order to apprehend the remaining members of the syndicate. The suspects will be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.”

In another development, Johnson said the legal section of the unit charged one Sikiru Olayinka along with his company, Excampo Nigeria Limited, to the Federal High Court, Ikoyi-Lagos, for offences bordering on fraudulent conversion and stealing of $123,000.00 being money wrongly transferred into his company’s domiciliary account on September 5, 2018.

He said, “On receipt of the funds into his account, Sikiru Olawale, within hours, quickly visited the bank and transferred $120,000.00 in two tranches into accounts of his cronies. The bank made concerted efforts to recover the funds in order to channel same to the rightful account but Sikiru Olayinka refused and frustrated these efforts and continued to dissipate the money contrary to the provisions of Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act, 1991, and the Failed Banks Act, 1994.”

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Meanwhile, on Tuesday, September 15, 2022, Johnson said the PSFU arraigned one James Abidemi and his company, Diamondsmith De-Great Universal Petroleum Corporation, and others at large, before the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos for conspiracy and obtaining the sum of N396,999,080.00 by false pretences, fraudulent conversion and stealing.

He said, “The complainant is a consulting firm with prime focus in assisting clients to source and render payment services in foreign exchange for goods and services around the world.

“In furtherance to the memorandum of understanding between the consulting firm and the suspect, the suspect’s company, Diamondsmith De-Great Universal Petroleum, received the aforesaid sum in tranches, between May 23 to 28, 2022.

“The money was meant for the purchase of $688,000.00 at an exchange rate of N577 per US Dollar and was supposed to remit the same as $250,000.00, $325,000.00, $100,000.00 and $13,000.00 to specified beneficiaries in mainland China and Hong Kong.”

READ EFCC arrests fraudster on FBI wanted list, three others over $100m fraud

Johnson said the suspect provided fake telexes as proof of remittance to foreign business partners of the complainant while the money was actually diverted to another member of the syndicate, a banker based in Ghana, who dispersed the funds to several other accomplices.

“Consequently, the PSFU has solicited the cooperation of INTERPOL to apprehend the remaining members of the syndicate that are outside Nigeria.

“The Commissioner of Police, SFU, Anyasinti Nneka, has advised banks and financial institutions on the need to increase their cyber-security surveillance, conduct routine background checks on staff who have login privileges that could be compromised to make banks porous to cyber-attacks.

“She equally enjoined the public on the need to investigate sources of unexpected inflows into their accounts. Where such funds are found to have been wrongly credited, the recipient should cooperate with their banks and make conscious efforts to reverse or re-route the same. Utilising such funds is a criminal offence,” the statement said.

Metro News

14-year-old Nigerian, Daniel Anjorin killed in London sword attack

Published

13 hours ago

May 1, 2024

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The teenage boy killed in the Hainault sword attack in north-east London has been identified as 14-year-old Daniel Anjorin.

Police said Anjorin died from stab wounds shortly after being taken to hospital on Tuesday.

He was the only casualty in the attack that left four other people, including two police officers, injured.

The suspect, 36, was cornered and overpowered with a Taser by officers in Thurlow Gardens.

Police were called to reports of a car crashing into a house and people being stabbed in Hainault, north-east London.

James Fernando, a witness, told the BBC that he saw the suspect asked one of his neighbours to take his phone and “tell whoever was on the phone his location”.

Fernando said the neighbour soon noticed the sword and started running.

“As she fled, the woman shouted to another neighbour, a boy on his way to school, who was then struck by the attacker as he turned around,” he said.

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Anjorin attended Bancroft’s, the same school where Grace O’Malley-Kumar, a stabbing victim in Nottingham, was also a student.

Holy Family Catholic School where the boy’s mother works, issued a statement naming her Mrs Anjorin and called for prayers for the family.Police said the suspect is in hospital being treated for injuries sustained when the vehicle he was in crashed into the house.The police said the suspect would be taken in for questioning immediately after he has some respite, adding that Anjorin’s family are being supported by specially trained staff.

Metro News

Gas explosion rocks Lagos community

Published

2 days ago

April 30, 2024

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One yet-to-be-identified pregnant woman and eight others have sustained varying degrees of injuries following a gas explosion that occurred at Alaba Lane, Alayabiagba Community, in the Ajegunle-Apapa area of Lagos State.

It was gathered that the incident occurred on Tuesday at about 12:39 p.m.

Confirming the incident, the Head, Public Education, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Amodu Shakiru, stated that preliminary inquiry revealed that a number of different gas cylinders that were traded in the area had one that was set off by a possible leak that broke a high-tension cable and started a fire.

He added that the fire destroyed four commercial tricycles, six lock-up stores, and a portion of a bungalow building.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that a number of various gas cylinders traded within the neighborhood have one triggered by a suspectable leakage leading to the snapping of a high-tension cable and resultant fire.

“Four commercial tricycles, six lock-up shops, and a bungalow part of the properties were razed down while salvaging adjoining structures, including a major fuel service station.

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He stated that the Federal Fire Service, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, and the fire stations in Ajegunle and Sari-Iganmu quickly contained the incident.

Shakiru noted that the pregnant woman and the other victims are currently receiving treatment at the Gbagada Burn & Trauma Center and Ajeromi General Hospital following initial care provided by the Lagos State Ambulance Service.

“However, nine people reportedly suffered different degrees of burn injury, including a pregnant woman, children, and adults, male and female, who are recuperating at the Ajeromi General Hospital and Gbagada Burnt & Trauma Centre after some first aid by the Lagos State Ambulance Service.

“The incident was curtailed in record time through the combined efforts of the Ajegunle and Sari-Iganmu Fire Stations of the LSFRS with the compliment of the Federal Fire Service.”

Emefiele collected $600k kickback in cash from contractors, former CBN director tells court

Published

3 days ago

April 29, 2024

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John Ikechukwu Ayoh, a former director at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has testified against Godwin Emefiele, ex-governor of the apex bank, in the ongoing case of abuse of office at the Lagos high court.

Emefiele and his co-defendant, Henry Omoile, are currently facing trial on a 26-count charge.

The former CBN governor and Omoile pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

At the court proceedings on Monday, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) presented Ayoh as the second witness in the case against Emefiele.

Ayoh told the court that he worked at the apex bank from June 2014 to April 2019 noting that he did not work directly under Emefiele.

Ayoh added that he used to report to Adebayo Adelabu, a former deputy governor of CBN, who is now the minister of power.

The witness said he was the head of procurement and support services (PSS) of the apex bank, which was vested with powers to receive bids and select successful bidders.

READ Major haul: EFCC arrest 44 suspected Internet fraudsters in Lagos

The former CBN director said he collected money from contractors as gratification of awarding contracts to them based on the instruction from Emefiele.

The witness said Emefiele usually sends his personal assistant (PA) — John Adetona — to collect the contractors’ kickback from him.

Ayoh said he collected $400,000 and $200,000 in cash from contractors on two different occasions and handed them over to Emefiele’s PA.

“The first transaction was $400,000 and the second one was $200,000 in cash. I was in my house when the first envelope was brought to me. His assistant was asked to collect the money,” he told the court.

“One of the vendors had a contract with CBN which involved the implementation of data storage and infrastructure.

“The first package was collected in my residence at Lekki phase one, while the second package was collected at the head office in Lagos.”

READ Three internet fraudsters jailed in Anambra

During cross-examination by Olalekan Ojo, counsel to Emefiele, Ayoh said he was under duress from the former CBN to accept gratifications on his behalf.

“No, I was under duress from my boss (referring to Emefiele). We were faced with tremendous pressure to bend the rule,” the witness said when asked about aiding the commission of a crime by collecting the money.

Asked if he indicated in his statement with the EFCC that the money was meant to influence the award of contracts, the witness said some parts of his statement implied that.

“Who told you that it (the money) is for gratification,” Emefiele’s counsel asked.

“The cash is for gratification to the governor for awarding the contracts. He (Emefiele) asked for it. He won’t approve the contract without gratification,” the witness said.

On whether he was arrested by the EFCC, the witness said the anti-graft agency invited him and was granted bail afterwards.

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Emefiele’s counsel told the court that the witness must have traded being charged by the EFCC to become a witness against the former CBN boss.

INTERIM BAIL

After the cross-examination of the witness, Emefiele’s counsel sought a fresh interim bail for the former CBN governor, pending the fulfilment of the bail conditions earlier stipulated by the court.

Ojo told the court that the initial interim bail granted to Emefiele ended today (Monday), adding that the defence team has not been able to meet the bail conditions.

He urged the court to grant Emefiele another interim bail that would end on May 17.

Rahman Oshodi, the presiding judge, granted the request and ordered that Ojo swear to an affidavit to provide Emefiele in the next adjourned date.

Oshodi adjourned to May 3, 9, and 17 for the continuation of the trial.