By Abiola Olawale
The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, recounted a situation that left him stunned as a 17-year-old successfully hacked into his personal computer.
The anti-graft agency during a media chat on Tuesday at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja said the 17-year-old had perfected the hacking skills and was able to hack his personal computer and get his bank account details in a few minutes of being interrogated at his office in Lagos.
Olukoyede said the officials had invited the 17-year-old for questioning based on intelligence reports and during the interrogation process, the young boy effortlessly bypassed the security measures of his locked computer right before his eyes.
He said: “I brought into my Lagos office a seventeen-year-old boy who is studying History and Anthropology. He is in the 200 level. He is not doing anything science-related. The guy sat in my office in Lagos and demonstrated some things to me on my laptop.
“He asked for my number, I gave him my number and through my number, he got my BVN. He then mentioned the name of my account number to me at the bank. I didn’t tell him anything.”
Speaking further, the EFCC Chairman expressed concerns that such a young boy who has great potential is rather using his talents illegally. He also called out to the government to take all necessary measures to discourage these young individuals, as their actions could lead to imprisonment or even fatal consequences.
He continued: “The problem is, I see crime in that, and I also see opportunities in it. So, if you leave these guys, we don’t make them know that what they are doing is wrong, if you leave them, they will continue to see it as a way of life to make money.”
“We plead for light sentences so that we can reorientate them and that’s part of what we’re doing. What joy will I derive from sending a 17-year-old boy to jail? You have destroyed his future. You have destroyed his career.
“Sometimes they give them options of fines and all of that conviction, so we bring them in, lecture them and talk to them.”
In a bold demonstration of his skills, the boy confidently informed Olukoyede that he could transfer up to 10 million naira from any account in a single transaction.
He said the 17-year-old boy, when he was done, said, “Look, oga, I can make 10 million now. I will demonstrate it to you. I will move money from your account to mine.
“I said no, don’t do that in my office and he was ready to do that. When he opened my laptop, I didn’t give him the key to my laptop and he had access.
When questioned about his involvement in cybercrime, the boy explained that his parents, who are both farmers, were unable to work on their farm due to security concerns.
“He has two younger ones. One is in JSS2 and the other is in SSS2. He is the one feeding his parents and responsible for the payment of tuition for his younger ones.
“I saw a Bill Gates in that guy.”
Olukoyede, however, assured the boy that he would take responsibility for his schooling if he was able to stop the criminal act.
“I told my family, we are going to do that. I spoke to one of my friends who is also ready to help take up the schooling of the SSS 2 guy. So I’m still looking for someone who will take up the one for the JSS 2 sibling.”
