Okitipi Samuel, a Nigerian man, has been taken into custody by the Nigeria Police Force for his alleged role in a global cyberattack on Microsoft 365 users.

Benjamin Hundeyin, Force public relations officer, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja while briefing journalists on the outcome of investigations carried out by the National Cybercrime Centre of the Nigeria Police Force.

Hundeyin said the centre, under the leadership of Ifeanyi Uche, its director and Commissioner of Police, commenced investigations in collaboration with Microsoft, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Secret Service, and the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency.

According to him, investigations revealed that a phishing toolkit known as “Raccoon 0365” was used to create fake Microsoft login portals to harvest user credentials and unlawfully access email accounts belonging to corporate organisations, financial institutions, and educational institutions in several countries.

“This investigation commenced following credible intelligence received from Microsoft USA through the FBI, indicating that a malicious phishing toolkit known as Raccoon0365 was being used to create fake Microsoft login portals, harvest user credentials, and unlawfully access the email accounts of corporate organisations, financial institutions, and educational establishments,” Hundeyin said.

He added that between January and September 2025, several reports of unauthorised access to Microsoft 365 accounts were traced to phishing emails designed to mimic legitimate Microsoft login pages, enabling business email compromise, internal phishing, data breaches, and other cyber-enabled fraud.

Hundeyin said digital forensic analysis and cryptocurrency tracing identified wallets connected to the illegal operation.

He noted that operatives were deployed to Lagos and Edo states, leading to the arrest of three suspects identified as Joshua, James, and Okitipi Samuel between September 20 and October 4, 2025.

“Following extensive digital forensic and technical intelligence analysis, the centre conducted cryptocurrency tracing that identified suspicious wallets connected to cash-out schemes.

“Acting on actionable intelligence, operational teams were deployed to Lagos and Edo states, resulting in the arrest of Joshua, James, and Okitipi Samuel. Searches at their residences led to the recovery of mobile devices, laptops, and other digital exhibits linked to the fraudulent scheme,” he said.

Hundeyin identified Okitipi Samuel, also known as “0365” and Moses Felix as the principal suspect and developer of the phishing infrastructure.

The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE, has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to open governance, transparency and inclusive digital development as the Open Government Partnership (OGP) team formally presented the award and certificate received at the OGP Global Summit Spain 2025 to the Agency’s leadership.

Nigeria emerged as the overall global winner in the Digital Governance category in recognition of the country’s excellence in deploying digital tools and policies to strengthen government transparency, accountability, and citizen engagement. In addition, Nigeria received the Regional Award for advancing Open Digital Governance across Africa and the Middle East, reaffirming its leadership role in promoting open government principles and driving digital transformation across the region.

These recognitions were largely attributed to initiatives led by NITDA in collaboration with civil society partners, such as Dataphyte, which showcased innovative and inclusive approaches to digital governance at the summit.

The summit, which was organised in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, brought together more than 1,500 high-level representatives of governments, civil society leaders, and policymakers from around the world to exchange experiences, best practices, and progress on open government initiatives and implementation on key issues.

Receiving the OGP delegation at NITDA, Inuwa described the recognition as a national honour rather than an institutional one, stressing that the award reflects Nigeria’s collective efforts across government, civil society and the private sector in advancing open governance principles through the digital space.

According to him, such global recognition comes with heightened responsibility to deliver on commitments made under the OGP framework.

“This is not just about NITDA. It is a national recognition, and every recognition comes with responsibility,” the DG said.

“If we fail to execute the commitments we have made, it will not only affect our image locally but also at the international stage. This is also not something NITDA can do in isolation,” he added.

Inuwa linked the achievement directly to the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, noting that digital transformation, transparency, economic diversification, job creation and efficient public service delivery remain central presidential priority areas.

He emphasised that leveraging digital technologies to deepen openness and accountability aligns with national objectives of strengthening institutions, improving governance outcomes and building trust between government and citizens.

Highlighting the importance of collaboration, the NITDA boss underscored the role of the OGP platform as a catalyst for a strong multi-stakeholder approach in Nigeria’s digital ecosystem.

He called on civil society organisations, development partners, the private sector and other government institutions to provide technical expertise, guidance and sustained engagement to ensure effective implementation of agreed commitments.

“We need to leverage the OGP platform. We need your expertise, your guidance, your support and your commitment to hand-hold us in delivering on these commitments,” he said.

He further noted that “a multi-stakeholder approach in the digital space is critical to fostering a resilient ecosystem that delivers real value to citizens.”

Inuwa disclosed that NITDA has already begun internal reviews of its OGP commitments and has tasked its representatives, including Dr Rousseau, to work with colleagues to develop a clear execution strategy.

He proposed the creation of joint work streams with OGP stakeholders to support implementation, ensure accountability and keep all parties on track.

“We are humans. Oversight and collaboration help us stay focused. With commitment, nothing is impossible, and I believe these goals are achievable,” he added, assuring the delegation of NITDA’s readiness and political will to deliver on all agreed commitments.

Inuwa also welcomed the idea of engaging the political leadership of OGP, including the Honourable Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, with a view to briefing President Tinubu on the achievement. He noted that celebrating milestones is important, as it reinforces morale and demonstrates that Nigeria’s efforts in digital governance are gaining global recognition.

“It’s also good when there are wins, we should celebrate, because we too never knew that the little things we are doing are noticed not just within Nigeria, but globally, to the extent of earning us this award,” he asserted.

He concluded by expressing gratitude to the Nigerian National OGP Secretariat and the global OGP leadership, reaffirming NITDA’s commitment to strengthening collaboration and building a more productive working relationship that will translate open governance principles into measurable national impact.

Earlier in his remark, Mr Olusoji Apampa, who led the OGP deelegation, said the honours were earned through a strong partnership between government and civil society, with NITDA playing a critical role, particularly in commitments focused on improving digital governance in Nigeria.

Apampa expressed hope that the awards would serve as added momentum to deepen ongoing commitments under NITDA’s leadership and accelerate the practical implementation of reforms aimed at strengthening digital governance across the country.

After nearly 30 years on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE), Econet Wireless, the country’s biggest technology company, is preparing to leave the bourse and move its property and infrastructure assets to the US dollar-based Victoria Falls Stock Exchange (VFEX).

Econet plans to spin off its towers, property and power installations into a new company, Econet InfraCo, which will be listed on the VFEX. Its mobile network operator business will be delisted from the ZSE.

Econet believes the market has failed to properly value its business and its assets. At the time Econet first released a cautionary on December 3, its market capitalisation was the equivalent of US$628 million.

A rally over the past days has lifted it to a market capitalisation – the number of shares times the share price – to around US$1 billion.

“For the last several years, the company has traded at a significant discount to its peers across Africa which trade at 6 – 8x EV/EBITDA.

“These peers have all already separated and realised value from their tower infrastructure whereas the company still owns its tower and other passive infrastructure which the company has now housed under a separate infrastructure company to be listed on the Victoria Falls Stock Exchange,” Econet said.

Econet will keep 70% of Econet InfraCo, with up to 30% used to settle an offer to shareholders who do not wish to remain invested.

The company argues that infrastructure assets are better suited to the VFEX, which trades in US dollars and attracts investors familiar with property and long-term infrastructure.

“Unlike the mobile network operator business in Zimbabwe, infrastructure assets represent a different class of investment, one that is better understood and valued within USD-based property and infrastructure markets.

“This is demonstrated by the higher Price-to-Earnings multiples at which listed real estate and infrastructure companies trade on the VFEX,” the company said.

Econet dominates Zimbabwe’s mobile market, with 88% of voice traffic, 82% of data usage and 73% of all subscribers. It has built the largest portfolio of telecoms assets.

By the end of the second quarter, it had 234 5G sites, 1,700 LTE sites, 1,900 3G towers and 2,860 2G locations.

In the half-year to August alone, it added 27 new 2G–4G sites and 100 new 5G sites.

In addition to these locations, Econet also holds other properties and power assets, including solar installations, Tesla batteries and generators.

The move follows a well-established trend in Africa.

MTN and Airtel Africa sold towers in Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda and Kenya to independent operators like IHS Towers and Helios Towers. Vodacom, Orange and Telkom South Africa have also carved out tower units through sale-and-leaseback deals.

Credit: Newsday