EFCC arrests ex-banker for selling stolen broadcast content

Tope Ajayi

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested a former banker, Tope Ajayi, for alleged satellite broadcast scam.

Ajayi was accused of using a gadget to control some servers in China and an unidentified Internet Service Provider and distributing the stolen contents to subscribers for a paltry sum of money.

He was also accused of manipulating Multichoice cards and allowing his clients to have free access to Multichoice signals.

EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, said the suspect was arrested at his apartment on Link Bawo Road, Kano State, on Friday August 23, 2013.

He added that the arrest was a result of intelligence report over his alleged involvement in digital satellite broadcast scam.

Uwujaren said, “Over 100 decoders and other computer gadgets were recovered from his room by operatives of the commission during a search on his apartment.

 “Ajayi, who claimed to have worked with Skye Bank Plc, is believed to be a major digital satellite broadcast scammer. He is alleged to have a server that links up with a server in China and an unknown Internet Service Provider somewhere in Europe or the United States of America.

“The suspect is also alleged to be engaged in illegal importation, selling and distribution of pirate devices popularly known as Dungle which enables subscribers to have free access to Multichoice satellite signals across West and Central Africa.”

The EFCC spokesman said the Senior Anti-Piracy Manager, Multichoice, Mr Frikkie Jonker, told the commission that Ajayi’s server controlled counterpart servers in China and distributed satellite signals to a host of West African and Central African countries including Senegal, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya Uganda and Benin Republic.

“It was also revealed that the suspect had been extracting control words from Multichoice cards in Nigeria and sending same to a server in China which is connected to an ISP server placed somewhere in Europe or America,” Uwujaren said.

He added that Ajayi would be arraigned in court when investigation was concluded.