Hackers Take Over EFCC Website, Alleged Arrest Of Mike Adenuga, Femi Otedola, Sayyu Dantata For Fuel Subsidy Fraud

…Anti graft agency claim otherwise

In the early hours of Friday January 13 2012 the website of anti corruption agency Economic and Financial Crimes Commission with the link www.efccnigeria.org featured this posting.

‘The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has detained Managing Director of CONOIL, Mike Adenuga, Managing Director of African Petroleum, Femi Otedola, Managing Director of MRS, Sayyu Dantata and others; as well as officials of the PPPRA and NNPC who defrauded the nation to the tune of several billions of Naira.

Twenty-one (21) executive directors have been detained in all and at the moment been interrogated over fresh information that they allegedly stole fuel subsidy funds.

More information will be released later.

Femi Babafemi,
Head, Media & Publicity Unit
13th January, 2012’

The posting featured photographs that include that of Oando boss, Wale Tinubu and chairman of Obat Petroleum, Chief Obateru Akinruntan.

All the names listed as ‘arrested’ were beneficiary of the fuel subsidy exercise.

And barely hours into the circulation of the story a counter broadcast that read
‎ ​’Dear all, Please disregard a statement purportedly issued by me today on an alleged arrest of some oil executives by the efcc. This is false. I am made to understand that the statement was posted on the commission’s website by hackers who hacked its website. Thanks as you help to broadcast this. Femi Babafemi’ made the rounds.

Further digs into the matter backed Babafemi’s posting.

Confidantes and spokespersons of the affected persons speaking directly and indirectly with societynowng.com refuted the claim.

The signatory, Babfemi resigned from the agency in controversial circumstances in December 2011.

And other postings on the website didn’t open- before it completely turned inaccessible.

The development is credited to protesters against subsidy removal and Internet censorship put in place by the government.

They operate under the identity “Naija Cyber Hactivist”

Regarding the on going nation wide strike, the ‘Hactivist” claimed the move was aimed at making the agency arrest and prosecute ‘“the perpetrators of large-scale fuel subsidy scams” in Nigeria.

They gave the agency the ultimatum to ‘break its silence’ in prosecuting these individuals or the agency suffer attacks using ‘its websites and technology infrastructure’.

The ‘Hactivist’ were said to have contacted the agency’s boss, Ibrahim Larmode, to make a pronouncement on the matter.

As at press time, the EFCC webmaster appeared to have taken over the site.

In place of ‘the arrest story’ a posting that reads

‘The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC
has been drawn to a report that appeared on its website this morning
and entitled, Fuel Subsidy Scam: EFCC Detains Adenuga, Otedola,
Others.
The Commission wishes to inform the general public that the said report which is purportedly signed by Femi Babafemi, a former Head of Media and Publicity did not originate from it. Mr. Babafemi has since ceased to be the Commission’s Head of Media. He is therefore not in position to sign any statement on behalf of the EFCC.
The statement is purely the work of hackers who breached the site and should be disregarded.
Efforts are being made to track and arrest the persons behind the breach.
Wilson Uwujaren
Ag. Head Media & Publicity
13th January, 2012’ decorates the spot.