By Deborah Nnamdi
The Plateau State Police Command has denied involvement in the investigation of the alleged hacking incident of VeryDarkMan’s NGO, Martins Vincent Otse Initiative, which resulted in the theft of N180 million.
According to the Police Public Relations Officer in Plateau State, DSP Alabo Alfred, the matter was not reported to the command, and the crime was not committed within their jurisdiction.
VeryDarkMan had earlier disclosed that hackers stole N180 million from his NGO’s account, claiming that the perpetrators had been tracked and one suspect arrested.He also mentioned that he was heading to Jos to recover the stolen funds.
However, Alfred clarified that VeryDarkMan’s statement about heading to Jos did not imply that the Plateau State Police Command was handling the case.
“The matter is not reported to us. We are not the ones handling the matter because the crime was not committed within our jurisdiction. If he said he is coming to Jos, that does not mean that we are the ones handling the case.
“The crime happened in Abuja. So, he is not coming to Jos to report an incident that did not happen within our jurisdiction. If he reported the case at the Force CID level, it is the Force PRO who can speak about it.
“If he reported the case at the FCT Command level, it would be a different thing. Of course, the Force PPRO can talk about it as well.
If he can get police officers from where he reported the case, they can all come together to Jos and do their investigation.
“After that, they can report back to where they came from and continue from there. But we can’t talk on a matter that did not happen within our jurisdiction”, the PPRO said.
The Martins Vincent Otse Initiative was launched in October, to address Nigeria’s educational challenges.
The NGO had received significant donations, including N100 million from music producer Don Jazzy.
The hacking incident has raised concerns about the security of NGOs’ financial systems and the need for increased vigilance in protecting against cyber threats.
