Police file criminal charges against MTN Nigeria, Top Managers.. Over Alleged Cybercrime following Petition by Chief Christopher Oyemike
Police file crimina
Abuja, Nigeria – November 27, 2025
The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has filed criminal charges against MTN Nigeria Communications Plc and two of its senior staff members over alleged violations of Nigeria’s Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015 (as amended in 2024).
Dr. Oyemike alleges that MTN unlawfully accessed his official email account and made unreadable email correspondence conveying financial entitlement as a staff of MTN and this allegation was thoroughly investigated by the Force Criminal investigation Division (FCID) with input from Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrimes Centre.
In a petition to the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Federal Criminal Investigations Division (FCID), Abuja, Chief Oyemike had, among other things, alleged that MTN may have compromised the investigations originally carried out by the Delta State Police Command, Asaba where the findings of the Police investigation stated that Oyemike’s case has merits.
According to court documents, the charges against MTN border on cybercrimes, computer data alteration, suppression and tampering with lawful evidence. The case is linked to arbitration meeting at the instance of the Minister of State for Labour and Productivity between Oyemike and MTN.
Those charged alongside the Telecommunications giant are Olawale Rasheed Ajibade, Manager, Modern Workplace, IT Division, Lagos Office of MTN Nigeria, and Lilian Binda, Adviser, Organizational Effectiveness and Performance, Abuja Regional Office of MTN Nigeria.
The case, filed under Charge No: FHC/ABJ/CR/285/2025, is pending before Hon. Justice Joyce Obehi Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
When the matter came up for hearing on Friday, October 3, 2025, neither MTN Nigeria nor any of the accused persons were present in court. As a result, Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the case to November 27, 2025, for further hearing.
The Allegations
According to the charge sheet filed by the Office of the Inspector-General of Police, the defendants are accused of conspiring to commit cyber offences, unlawfully deleting and altering computer data, and modifying email messages without authorization.
Count One
That you, MTN Nigeria Communication Plc; Olawale Rasheed Ajibade; and Lilian Binda, on or about the 6th day of May, 2023, in Nigeria, within the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court, conspired amongst yourselves to commit an offence to wit: unlawfully and intentionally doing an act which directly caused the serious hindering of the functioning of a Dell Latitude 5420 laptop computer by deleting, deteriorating, altering, or suppressing computer data. You thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 27(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015 (as amended in 2024).
Count Two
That you, MTN Nigeria Communication Plc; Olawale Rasheed Ajibade; and Lilian Binda, on or about the 6th day of May, 2023, in Nigeria, within the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court, without lawful authority, intentionally did an act which directly caused serious hindering of the functioning of a Dell Latitude 5420 laptop computer by deleting, deteriorating, altering, or suppressing computer data, thereby preventing the said laptop from functioning in accordance with its intended purpose. You thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 8 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015 (as amended in 2024).
Count Three
That you, MTN Nigeria Communication Plc; Olawale Rasheed Ajibade; and Lilian Binda, on or about the 6th day of May, 2023, in Nigeria, within the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court, conspired amongst yourselves to commit an offence to wit: causing modification of email messages held in a Dell Latitude 5420 laptop computer or MTN network. You thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 27(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015 (as amended in 2024).
Count Four
That you, MTN Nigeria Communication Plc; Olawale Rasheed Ajibade; and Lilian Binda, on or about the 6th day of May, 2023, in Nigeria, within the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court, with intent and without lawful authority, directly modified or caused modification of email messages held in a Dell Latitude 5420 laptop computer or the MTN network. You thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 16(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015 (as amended in 2024).
The Court adjourned the case to November 27, 2025, for continuation of hearing as the prosecution awaits the appearance of the accused parties.
At the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday November 27, 2025, Justice J.O Abdulmalik again adjourned the case between IGP, MTN Communication Limited and two others to February 2, 2026, due to the absence of the 2nd defendant who was not produced in Court by the Prosecutor Mr. Joseph Udo.
Justice Abdulmalik told the Prosecutor Counsel that on next adjournment if the Prosecutor fail to produce the 2nd defendant in Court the case will be striked out.
Neither MTN Nigeria nor the named officials have publicly commented on the charges as of press time.
