Police arraign two students for hacking MTN system, stealing N1.9b worth of airtime, data

Two students have been arraigned by the police for allegedly hacking into the MTN network and stealing N1.9 billion worth of airtime and data.

The students, from Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY) Abeokuta and Resign Regal Academy Benin City, were arraigned before Justice Akintayo Aluko.

The charges include conspiracy, unauthorised access to MTN’s Application Programming Interface (API), and unlawful conversion.

The accused, who have pleaded not guilty, are alleged to have committed the offenses between January and April 2024 in Lagos and Edo states.

Prosecution counsel Justine Enang claimed that the defendants accessed MTN’s API and fraudulently used the stolen data, which violated the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015, as amended in 2024, and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

The prosecution requested a trial date and sought remand in Nigerian Correctional Services custody. The defense has filed bail applications.

Justice Aluko has scheduled a hearing for the bail applications on August 5.

The charges detail the defendants’ alleged manipulation of MTN’s systems and conversion of stolen airtime into data.