A plot by a syndicate to steal N4.5 billion from the Federal Government’s Treasury Single Account (TSA) has been thwarted by the Directorate of State Services (DSS).
The secret police bust the four-man syndicate, which was at the verge of hacking into the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) domiciled in the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) to steal the money.
In a statement on its activities yesterday, DSS spokesman, Tony Opuiyo, said: “The gang was led by one Sunny Okoh, a hacker who worked in collaboration with the trio of Uwem Udo Ekpo, a Chief Programme Analyst in the OAGF, Maxwell Ekene, a retired security operative and Dozie Egwu, based in Malaysia and who is now at large.
“The suspected fraudsters intended to use a software they had sourced and codes released to them by Ekpo to hack government accounts in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and defraud the government of this huge sum”.
Mr. Opuiyo added that the hacking suspects had been handed over to the EFCC for further investigations and prosecution, stressing that citizens’ timely information is always helpful in uncovering criminals’ plans.
