A plot by a syndicate to steal N4.5 billion from the Federal Government’s Treasury Single Account (TSA) has been foiled by the Directorate of State Services (DSS).

The four-man syndicate was about to hack into the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) domiciled in the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) to steal the money when the plan was aborted by the under cover security outfit.

In a wide-ranging statement on its activities yesterday, DSS spokesman Tony Opuiyo, said: “The gang was led by one Sunny Okoh, a hacker who worked in collaboration with the trio of Uwem Udo Ekpo, a Chief Programme Analyst in the OAGF, Maxwell Ekene, a retired security operative and Dozie Egwu, based in Malaysia and who is now at large.

“The suspected fraudsters intended to use a software they had sourced and codes released to them by Ekpo to hack government accounts in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and defraud the government of this huge sum,” the DSS alleged.

The intelligence-gathering agency stated that the hacking suspects had been handed over to the EFCC for further investigations and prosecution, adding that citizens’ timely information is always helpful in uncovering criminals’ plans.