Nation
Interpol Nabs Three Nigerians Over Cyber Scam
The International Police Organisation has apprehended three Nigerians for alleged involvement in a cyber scam targeting governments and private firms in over 150 countries.
They were said to be part of a criminal organisation that allegedly compromised thousands of government and private companies across the world.
A statement published on the Interpol website on Wednesday said the arrest was carried out by a joint operation of the Interpol, a cybersecurity company, Group-IB, and the Nigeria Police Force, tagged ‘Operation Falcon.’
Explaining the suspects’ mode of operation, Interpol said the gang focused on mass email phishing campaigns distributing popular malware strains under the guise of purchasing orders, product inquiries, and even COVID-19 aid while impersonating legitimate companies.
The statement read, “The suspects are alleged to have developed phishing links, domains, and mass mailing campaigns in which they impersonated representatives of organisations.
“They, then, used these campaigns to disseminate 26 malware programmes, spyware, and remote access tools, including AgentTesla, Loki, Azorult, Spartan, and the nanocore and Remcos Remote Access Trojans.
“These programmes were used to infiltrate and monitor the systems of victim organisations and individuals, before launching scams and syphoning funds.
“According to Group-IB, the prolific gang is believed to have compromised government and private sector companies in more than 150 countries since 2017.”
Interpol’s cybercrime director, Craig Jones was quoted as saying that the public-private relationships are important in disrupting virtual crimes, stressing that “cooperation in investigation will upset well-established criminal business models.”
Based on the infrastructure that the attackers used and their techniques, Interpol disclosed that Group-IB was also able to establish that the gang was divided into subgroups with a number of individuals still at large.
“The findings on other suspected gang members, whom Group-IB was able to track down, have been shared with Interpol’s Cybercrime Directorate. The investigation continues,” it added.
Nation
Rumuaholu Community Denies Land Grabbing Allegations, Accuses Obio/Akpor Chairman of Interference in Land Dispute
The Rivers State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Peters Nwagor, has commended the orderly conduct of the ongoing 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination in the state and urged schools to sustain the standard.
Dr. Nwagor gave the commendation on Tuesday during a monitoring tour of selected secondary schools in Port Harcourt and environs where the WAEC exam is ongoing.
The commissioner, who was accompanied by directors and monitors from the Ministry of Education, said he was impressed with the peaceful atmosphere at the centres visited.
“The students conducted themselves properly and wrote their papers under conducive conditions. Invigilators and supervisors also performed their duties professionally,” he stated.
Nwagor noted that the Rivers State Government had invested heavily to ensure the smooth and credible conduct of the examination across the state
He urged candidates to reciprocate government’s effort by shunning all forms of examination malpractice and focusing on their studies.
“Government has done so much to ensure successful examinations in our schools. Students should take advantage of it by remaining focused,” the commissioner said.
While no case of malpractice was recorded in the centres inspected, Dr. Nwagor warned that any principal, teacher, invigilator, or official caught aiding malpractice would face strict sanctions in line with regulations.
He also commended school administrators, teachers, WAEC officials, and security personnel for upholding the integrity of the process.
Centres visited included County Grammar School, Ikwerre/Etche; Government Comprehensive Secondary School, Borokiri; Government Secondary School, Borokiri; and Pabod Model Secondary School.