Police accuse FUOYE Vice-Chancellor and two others of cybercrime

The Nigeria Police Force has brought cybercrime charges against the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Prof. Joshua Ogunwole, along with two others. This is over the alleged illegal interception of a woman's phone and computer network.

PUNCH Metro found out from a charge sheet seen on Wednesday that Mufutau Ibrahim and Tajudeen Opoola are the other two accused.

The charges were filed by the Inspector-General of Police on behalf of Nigeria at the Federal High Court in Lagos. It claims the defendants worked together to illegally intercept computer data belonging to Dr. Adeola Kehinde without permission.

According to the charge sheet, which is dated October 2 and signed by a lawyer from the Directorate of Legal Services, NPF-NCCC, the alleged offences took place on August 23, 2026, at the university in Ekiti State.

In the first count, the defendants are accused of conspiring “with intent and without authorisation, to unlawfully intercept the transmission of Dr. Adeola Kehinde’s computer data and its content.”

The second count states they intentionally and without permission used technical methods to “unlawfully intercept the transmission of Dr. Adeola Kehinde’s computer data and its content” from her computer network.

In the third count, the defendants are accused of changing data on Kehinde’s computer system or network “with intent and without lawful authority.”

These alleged offences are said to violate Sections 27(1)(b), 12(1) and 16(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015, which was amended in 2024.

In another count, the defendants allegedly acted “in abuse of your office” and committed an “arbitrary act prejudicial to the rights of Dr. Adeola Kehinde.” This was by allegedly intercepting her phone and computer network without lawful authority.

The charge sheet notes that this alleged act is punishable under Section 104 of the Criminal Code Act, Cap C38, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

The charge document did not mention when the defendants will be arraigned or what their pleas to the allegations are.