Banking Trojan mess: Ethiopia leads African countries - ITREALMS

ITREALMS: 

Ethiopia has been identified as top in the ranking of four African countries attacked by Banking Trojans for the year 2019, reports ITREALMS.

According to Kaspersky described Banking Trojans also known as ‘bankers’ is one of the most widespread tools for cybercriminals as they focus on stealing money.

Available data sighted by ITREALMS showed that Ethiopia has the largest share of corporate users among those who were targeted by banking malware in African regions with 71 per cent in 2019,

This, they said showed that almost two thirds of banking malware attacks in the country were aimed at the corporate sector.

This was followed by South Africa, where this figure is significantly smaller and can be compared to the global number, reaching 30 per cent.

“Kenya and Nigeria, however, saw this parameter being lower than average, with approximately a fifth (22,5 per cent) of banking malware attacks in Kenya targeting corporate devices, compared to 13 per cent in Nigeria,” the firm showed.

A third of these attacks, ITREALMS gathered, in 2019 targeted corporate users, an increase from the figure (24 per cent-25 per cent) that has remained fairly consistent for the previous three years.
ITREALMS further gathered that the Banking Trojan also known as ‘Bankers’ usually search for users’ credentials for e-payment and online banking systems, hijacking one-time passwords, and then passing that data to the attackers.

Remmy Nweke/DoP

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D-G NEMA in N5bn fraud mess

ITREALMS:

The latest reports at the Office of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), depicted they have received petitions on monumental corrupt practices against the current Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Engr. Mustapha Maihaja, reports ITRealms.

This revelation is on the heels of a recent public hearing of House of Representatives investigating alleged breaches of public trust in NEMA led by Maihaja which was found to have expended over N5bn on companies that have no legal qualifications to get contract awards from the federal government.

The NEMA boss who has been enmeshed in several scandals including arbitrary harassment and suspension of directors and massive redeployment of Account Staff is alleged to be engaged in corrupt practices in less than a year since his appointment in April 2017.

One of the latest request entitled “Petition Against Engineer Mustafa Yunusa Maihaja, Director-General NEMA” the Office of the Vice President directed Maihaja to respond to the query.

In a letter dated January 15, 2018 with Reference No SH/OVP/DCOS/LGR&C/NEMA/367, and signed by Ade Ipaye, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, the NEMA boss was requested to send a brief on all the allegations raised against him in the petition.

Some of these allegations in the petition stated inter alia: “upon resumption of office in April 2017 Maihaja grounded the operations of Mobile Intensive Care Unit (MICU), Emergency Response Vehicles, Air Ambulance and the Helicopter that cost the Federal Government of Nigeria over $100 million tax payers money to put in place.”

The petition further disclosed that during the 2017 floods when the Acting President approved and released N1.6bn to provide succour to the 16 affected states, no item was procured and delivered to the states concerned despite the emergency involved.

Similarly, the Petition further disclosed that Maihaja awarded a contract of N2.4bn without following due process and above his approval limit while assigning director of Relief and Rehabilitation to be signing contract awards.

The Director-General was also alleged to have pocketed substantial amount of foreign currencies for official oversea trips without actually embarking on such trips or spending fewer days from the approved durations of such a trip.

Another allegation against him read: “He travelled to the United Kingdom for a training with all his entitlements paid for two weeks but he only spent 5 days and bought an Apple Ipad and return to the country only to pull out the amount from the Agency’s account.”

Meanwhile the National Assembly through the House Committee on Emergency and Disaster Preparedness have uncovered over N5 billion contract scandal under the management of current DG NEMA Maihaja and lambasted him for spending over N400mn Demurrage on donated Chinese Rice.

He was also accused of awarding contracts to fake companies that are not qualified for business engagements in Nigeria which included N1.6bn Flood Victims Fund for 16 States and N3.1bn Food Intervention for victims of Boko Haram in North-East.

Concerned on his maladministration and victimisation of staff, the lawmakers have ordered Maihaja and the Governing Board of NEMA to immediately recall the suspended Directors of the agency who were unfairly and unjustly treated for challenging his  draconian disposition and unethical intents .

The affected officers that were recalled are Director of Finance and Accounts, Akinbola Gbolahan; Ag. Director, Special Duties, Mr. Umesi Emenike; and Director, Risk Reduction, Mallam Alhassan Nuhu. Others are pilot in charge of Air Ambulance and Aviation Unit, Mr. Mamman Ali Ibrahim; the Chief Maintenance Officer, Mr. Ganiyu Yunusa Deji; and the Director of Welfare, Mr. Kanar Mohammed.

Further allegations included that there were growing concerns that as ICPC and other security agencies close in on Maihaja over the petition, the NEMA boss is also using EFCC under the Office of Vice President to intimidate the staffs, especially those that have spent over 10 years in the public service and union leaders.

Uboshe Uboshe/GEE

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APGA warns INEC ‘Don’t mess with Senatorial election results’

ITRealms:

The All Progress Grand Alliance (APGA) Nigeria has warned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to mess around with the Senatorial election results, ITRealms reports.

The National Publicity Secretary, APGA, Chief Okwukwe Ibiam, in a press statement made available to ITRealms, congratulated Nigerians for the peaceful conduct of the Presidential and Senatorial elections last Saturday, March 28, 2015.

He also said that his party while waiting for INEC to release the result, denounced any form of rigging or manipulations.

“We warn against any rigging or unscrupulous practice which may put the results of the elections in jeopardy, and our electorate in any quandary,” he said.

APGA said that in the process of announcing the results INEC must declare the results as they are, mostly from the South-East, North-Central and South-South zones of the country.

“We warn the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to declare the results as are, particularly in the the Geopolitical zones of the South-East, North-Central and the South-South regions of Nigeria,” Chief Ibiam said.

As said by him, APGA looks forward to the effective representation which the hardworking candidates will provide after the announcement.

“Our electorate counts on the fairness of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),” he said.

 
+Remmy Nweke (ITRealms)
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