A Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the remand of an alleged WhatsApp hacker, Stephen Andrew Ojo, at the Ikoyi Center of the Nigerian Correctional Services.
This decision was made by Justice Akintayo Aluko after the defendant was arraigned by officers of the Zone 2 Police Command, Onikan, Lagos. The arraignment was based on four counts related to conspiracy, identity theft, and obtaining by false pretense.
During the arraignment on Wednesday, police prosecutor Zebedee Arekhandia informed the court that the defendant, along with others who remain at large, allegedly planned and executed the hacking of Mrs. Laraba Shuaibu’s WhatsApp account at Ajao Estate, Lagos, on September 12, 2023. They purportedly used this hacked platform to impersonate her.
Arekhandia further stated that the defendant and others involved used the compromised platform to fraudulently acquire N700,000 from Mrs. Osasu Tina Eriamiatoe.
The charges brought against the defendant contravened Sections 8(a) and 1(3)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, as well as Sections 24 (2)(a)(b) (i)(ii) and (iii) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015, alongside Section 15 (1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2022, amended in 2012.
Although the defendant pleaded guilty, he maintained that he was not the individual responsible for the alleged crime. Following his plea and statement, Justice Aluko, the vacation judge, ordered his remand at the Ikoyi facility until January 24, 2024. At that time, the court’s Chief Judge would reassign his case file to the substantive judge.
