The Tin Can Island Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has arrested a man (names withheld) at the Tin Can Island Container Terminal (TICT) for allegedly hacking the password of an Assistant Controller of Customs at the port allegedly with intent to fraudulently release cargoes.
Sources told Shipping Position Daily last week that the man, who was alleged to be a staff of the TICT, was caught by one of the customs officers after working hours, working on the senior officer's computer.
The Tin Can Island Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has arrested a man (names withheld) at the Tin Can Island Container Terminal (TICT) for allegedly hacking the password of an Assistant Controller of Customs at the port allegedly with intent to fraudulently release cargoes.
Sources told Shipping Position Daily last week that the man, who was alleged to be a staff of the TICT, was caught by one of the customs officers after working hours, working on the senior officer's computer.
The officer whose identity was simply given as 'Madam Love' was said to be a releasing officer.
The case has however been transferred to the Customs headquarters in Abuja where further investigation is reportedly on-going.
According to an eye witness account, after the incident, the Customs Area Controller of the command, Jibrin Zakari sent his enforcement team to raid clearing agents and miscreants who usually loiter around inside the terminal.
The witness said: "An office assistant of the madam was closing for the day when he noticed that her door was open and he caught the man working on his boss's computer".
Our correspondent gathered that when he was notified of the development, the Comptroller General of Customs, Alhaji Dikko Inde Abdullahi picked serious interest in the case. Dikko was said to be particularly unhappy with the frequent cases of hacking of customs officers’ password to release bad jobs, a situation that has been attributed to alleged carelessness on the part of the releasing officers.
Confirming the development to our correspondent last week, Public Relations Officer of the Tin Can Island Customs Command, Mr. Chris Osunkwo said that it was not to his knowledge if the arrested fraudster used the password to release any offensive cargoes.
"It is not to my knowledge if they released any cargoes, but I know that they were caught in the act of hacking, it was a clearly established case of hacking, the guy was caught in the act and he is under investigation, until investigation is concluded we cannot tell you whether they released cargo or not".
"If you were found not to have anything to do with what happened you will be allowed to go, it is a usual practice, those who are innocent are allowed to go while those answerable are allowed to go" Osunkwo said
Osunkwo who refused to disclose the identity of the officer and the arrested man added that "we are still trying to prove it, but we know that it was an officer's system"
Osunkwo said that the man was suspected to be a loafer inside the terminal, added that, an alarm was raised when he was in the process of hacking into the senior officer's computer.
He said that the senior officer was not careless with her password.
"The ICT section has advised that we guide the passwords very seriously, the passwords are safe" he said
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