A Federal High Court in Lagos has granted bail to two students, Timothy Oluwabukola and Anthony Odemerho, who were accused of hacking into MTN Nigeria’s computer systems and stealing airtime and data worth N1.9 billion.
The students, who attend Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY) and Resign Regal Academy, were granted N50 million bail each.
Justice Akintayo Aluko, who presided over the case, ordered that each defendant must provide two sureties. One surety must be a civil servant in federal or Lagos State employment, at grade level 14 or above, while the second must be a landed property owner within the court’s jurisdiction.
The court on Monday also mandated that the defendants remain in custody until they fulfill their bail conditions.
The students were arraigned on July 30, 2024, facing charges of conspiracy, unauthorized access to MTN’s web-based platform known as Application Programming Interface, and unlawful conversion.
The prosecution alleged that they committed the crimes between January and April 2024 in Lagos and Edo States, alongside others who are still at large.
The offences are said to contravene various sections of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act, 2015 as amended in 2024, and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges. The case has been adjourned for further proceedings.
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