DSS Accuses APC Of Planning To Clone INEC Database

The Department of State Services (DSS) has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of plans to clone the Independent Electoral Commission, (INEC)’s database.

According to DSS Deputy Director, Public Relations, Marilyn Ogar, who spoke at a briefing in Abuja, the DSS recovered computer hard drives containing a video of 21 hacking tutorials during the raids on the APC office, located on No. 10 Bola Ajibola Street in Ikeja, Lagos State.

She said the tutorial video focused on how to become a hacker and steps to take to avoid detection in the process of hacking web servers.

Ogar also claimed that the security outfit found out that APC registered under-aged persons including several infants and babies, foreigners, security personnel as members of the party.

“On arriving at the building at No. 10, Bola Ajibola Street, Ikeja, Lagos, Officers of this Service found that the building did not have the signpost, banner or flag of any company or political party.

“In the course of investigation, the following discoveries were made: a temporary Voters Card; Permanent Voters Card, that one of the hard drives recovered from the building contained a video of twenty-one (21) hacking tutorials.

“The tutorial video focused on “How to become a hacker and steps to take to avoid detection in the process of hacking web servers, steps and procedures of system hacking, passwords cracking, decrypting, escalating access privileges, and creating backdoors to servers.

“It also explicitly explained how to evade security of databases such as Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS), firewalls, and other measures put in place to deter hackers;

“The video outlined ways to identify vulnerabilities in systems and how to surreptitiously drop a USB flash drive in a target establishment, which when plugged into any computer, transmits malicious codes enough to gain access into and compromise the entire system of the target organization; and

“Finally, the video explains how to hack into the systems of media houses, with the aim of broadcasting fake stories or headlines,” she said.

“It was also discovered that the APC registered under-aged persons including several infants and babies as members of the party. We know that Article 9.1 of the APC Party Constitution expressly says: “membership of the party shall be open to any citizen of Nigeria who has attained the age of eighteen (18) years and accepts the aims and objectives of the Party … ”

“Similarly, the APC registered several security personnel from the Nigerian Army (NA), the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) among others, in their uniforms as members of the party;

“Furthermore the APC had multiple registrations of individuals in multiples of 16, 12, and 10;

“Several foreigners were also registered as its members;

“Also, the APC filled forms without passport photographs, and have books containing names of people with their phone numbers;

“Equally discovered were several envelopes containing passport photographs of various individuals.

“From the foregoing, that we suspect there was an elaborate and well articulated plan to inflate the Party’s membership data as well as hack into INEC’s voter registration database through the creation of party membership forms and cards to match INEC’s voters register across the country,” the DSS alleged.