17-year-old hacker surprises EFCC chairman with impressive computer skills

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, has narrated an incident where a 17-year-old boy managed to hack into his personal computer and bank account while being interrogated at his office in Lagos.

The chairman of the anti-graft agency made this known in a chat with editors at the EFCC headquarters, Jabi, Abuja, last Tuesday.

Olukoyede said he invited the 17-year-old to his own office for questioning, only to witness how the young hacker effortlessly bypassed the security measures of his locked computer before his eyes.

He said: “I brought a seventeen-year-old boy who studies History and Anthropology to my office in Lagos. He is at level 200. He is not doing anything related to science. The guy sat in my office in Lagos and showed me some things on my laptop.

“He asked for my number, I gave him my number and through my number he got my BVN. Then she mentioned the name of my account number at the bank. I did not say anything”.

According to him, the country must take all necessary measures to deter these young people, as their actions could lead to prison or even fatal consequences.

“The problem is that I see crime in that and I also see opportunities in it. So if you leave these guys, we won’t let them know that what they’re doing is wrong; If you let them, they will continue to see it as a way of life to make money.”

He mentioned that due to their young age, the EFCC would administer light sentences to punish the youths for the cybercrimes they committed, while also focusing on helping them change their orientation.

“We advocate for light sentences to be able to redirect them and that is part of what we are doing. What joy will I get from sending a 17 year old to jail? You have destroyed his future. You have destroyed his career.

“Sometimes they give them options of fines and all that conviction, so we bring them in, lecture them and talk to them.”

In a bold display of his skills, the boy confidently informed Olukoyede that he could transfer up to N10 million from any account in a single transaction.

He said that the 17-year-old boy, when he finished, said: “Look, oga, now I can win 10 million. I’ll show 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 it. When he opened my laptop, I didn’t give him the key to my laptop and he had access.

When asked about his involvement in cybercrime, the boy explained that his parents, both farmers, could not work on their farm for safety reasons.

“He has two younger ones. One is in JSS2 and the other in SSS2. He is the one who feeds his parents and is responsible for paying the tuition of the little ones.

“I saw Bill Gates in that guy.”

Olukoyede, however, assured the boy that he would take responsibility for his studies if he managed to stop the criminal act.

“I told my family, let’s do that.

“I talked to one of my friends who is also willing to help start the education of the SSS 2 boy. So I am still looking for someone to take care of the JSS 2 brother.”

This is not the first time the EFCC chairman has revealed the anti-graft agency’s plan to rehabilitate convicted internet fraudsters with reduced sentences.

Addressing a National Association of College Students delegation in March 2024, he said: “When you think deeply, that ‘ex-convict’ label is not a good thing. You can never know where you will find yourself tomorrow and they will want to profile you and find out that you are an ex-convict.”

“Therefore, it is even in the interest of the youths that the EFCC is doing what it is doing to prevent them from falling into the heinous act of cybercrime.”