New Theft App Excites Phone Users

The discovery of a mobile application capable of blocking stolen phones by a Nigerian company, E.F Network Limited, has been hailed as a welcome development.
A Port Harcourt based phone dealer, Mr Chukwudi Okpara, who spoke in an exclusive chat with The Tide, in Port Harcourt, recently, said that the application should be quickly introduced to the market in order to curb the menace of phone theft.
He said that the incidence of phone theft had forced many dealers out of business due to inability to readjust after repeated attacks by phone thieves.
According to him, the device should be developed quickly to gain fast market and public penetration owing to the negative challenges faced by majority of phone users.
The phone App known as “ephonetaxi”, has the capacity to lock out anyone who is not authorised to use the phone, thus making it both unusable and unsellable unless by authorised owners.
The Tide learnt that the application was designed to protect phone owners and the information stored in their phones from compromise in the event of loss or theft.
It was further gathered that the App could also stop unauthorised access to stored pictures, videos, messages as well as contacts of the authorised users.
The new App which is yet to gain access into the market, could also alert the authorised user of any development in SIM card, regulates and takes pictures, as well as locating suspected criminals.
Okpara who expressed regrets over the high occurrence of phone theft, blamed the hike in prices of phones on incessant attacks on phone dealers by hoodlums.
He hinted that most foreign investors were ready to develop the Nigerian phone market, but were often scared by the activities of phone thieves.
Meanwhile, a phone user who gave his name as Mr Gift Okenna, whose stolen phone was recovered via a similar device by the defunct SARS Police unit, said that the new App would aid in tracking down criminals.
Okenna, however, appealed that the device should be installed in the phone from the point of production to prevent IT criminals from truncating the device.
The Tide learnt that in 2006 alone, about 400,000 phones believed to have been stolen from the United Kingdom, were shipped out of the country for resale.
It would also be recalled that the Phone Market at Eleme junction in Rivers State was attacked by suspected #EndSARS protesters, penultimate week, during which several phones

By: King Onunwor