Ola Olukoyede, the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has revealed an incident in which a 17-year-old successfully hacked into his personal computer and bank account while being questioned at the EFCC office in Lagos.
Olukoyede brought the young hacker to his office for questioning, claiming the adolescent could easily circumvent the security safeguards on his closed computer.
The EFCC chairman revealed this at a meeting with editors at the EFCC headquarters in Jabi, Abuja.
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.
“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.”
The boy boldly told Olukoyede that he could transfer up to 10 million naira from any account in a single transaction, showcasing his expertise.
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.
“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. I told my family, we were 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.”
The EFCC chairman has already disclosed the anti-graft agency’s strategy to pardon and rehabilitate convicted online scammers.