The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre, an initiative of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, of all cybercrime units of the Force, has made notable progress in less than a month since it began operating under the supervision of the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigations Department (FCID), DIG Johnson Babatunde Kokumo.
In a statement given to journalists by CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the Force Public Relations Officer, Force Headquarters said, among the many concluded cases by the Center is a case of unauthorized access to a computer network and manipulation of a point of sale (POS) network to defraud the unknowing owner of a total of N16,149,195.00 (N16,149,195.00) by an all-male trio of Sanmi Ayodeji,
The suspects used their Bank Verification Numbers (BVN) as well as those of their friends and family members without their permission to sign up on a POS platform called Tmoni Technologies Company. They then opened legitimate Tmoni wallet accounts, took advantage of the company’s network security flaws, and fraudulently moved N16.1 million from the Tmoni platform to a number of online accounts, from which they withdrew the money. After the financial controller of the Tmoni platform filed a formal complaint with the NPF National Cybercrime Centre, the suspects were ultimately detained in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The suspects were discovered to be in possession of several mobile phones, POS devices, SIM cards, Automated Teller Machine (ATM) Cards, and a Toyota Matrix automobile with registration number KUJ 548 CN that they admittedly purchased with the profits of the crime.
The Inspector-General of Police urges all citizens and residents of the nation to report any suspicious cyber activity via 09168343711, interpolnigeria@npf.gov.ng, or on the NPF Cybercrime Reporting Portal, which can be found at https://incb.npf.gov.ng/, as stakeholders in ensuring maximum security. The Inspector-General of Police also urges users of online banking platforms to be cautious with regard to their personal information.
Similarly, the IGP praised Deputy Commissioner of Police Uche Ifeanyi Henry, Director of the NPF National Cybercrime Centre, for his effort and dedication, which contributed to the successes so far. As quickly as feasible, the suspects will face court charges.