Economic Confidential, November, 2009

NATIONAL

A Nigeria's Graduate in $2.5m Internet Scam

... As Hacker Attacks Police Website

As Nigerian universities are notoriously being on strikes most of the sessions, with some idle students going into prostitution and robbery, their half-baked or unemployed are either into kidnapping or internet scam and other fcriminal activities.

At the same time their wicked counterparts abroad are hacking into computers of sensitive institutions to wreck monumental havoc to their systems.

Recently a graduate of Chemical Engineering from the Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Nwanya Odichukwu, has been sentenced to a 12 year imprisonment by a federal high court, Enugu over offences bordering on fraud and internet scam.

Nwanya who was arrested during a raid on 20th August 2009 at Logon Nigeria Multi Medis Cybercafé located at Chime Avenue by operatives from the Enugu zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, was caught in the act sending scam mails.

Investigation shows that Nwanya was soliciting information regarding details of unsuspecting victims financial status. A thorough search on him and his residence led to the recovery of a parcel containing an international cashier valued at two million U.S dollars, a Central Bank of Nigeria draft valued at five hundred thousand U.S dollars in the name of one Mr. B.R. Butler, a United Kingdom International Passport bearing the name of one Jaxkson Phillips Dennis as well as scanned U.S dollars documents.

The suspect was subsequently arraigned on a six count charge for committing offences contrary to Section 5 of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Related Offences Act No. 14 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.

Delivering  his ruling on the matte, a copy of which was obtained by Economic Confidential, Justice Abdu Kafarati sentenced Nwanya to two years imprisonment on each count charge , bringing the total number of jail term to 12 years. The prison term is however to run concurrently.

Meanwhile in another development a hacker has launched a crude attack on a police website in Durham, apparently in revenge for terror deaths in Pakistan.

According to foreign media, Press Association, the hacker who called himself "L33T HACKER Ali Mani" wrote on the official website that "Ur security sucks UK police this is my revenge against u. U are the one who are blasting bomb in Pakistan. Now stop this all battle else I will f… ur site + server. Ur security is zero%”

The police said an investigation was under way on how the incidence occurred after the staff temporarily blocked the site.