News
NCC Commences New Licensing Round for 2.3Ghz Frequency
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has begun a new process for the sale of the 2.3GHz Frequency spectrum band following the cancellation of the earlier sale enmeshed in controversies, Nigeria CommunicationsWeek has learnt.
This will lay to rest the claims and counter charges that greeted the previous sale which saw the emergence of Mobitel, MultiLinks and Spectranet Ltd and the exclusion of Galaxy Wireless which claimed it met the requirements but was not named as one of the winners.
Piqued by growing outcry and deluge of petitions against the sale, Prof. Dora Akunyili, minister of Information and Communications cancelled the sale and stood by the cancellation of the initial sale insisting that the process lacked transparency and that due process was not followed.
The minister’s insistence is despite warnings of far reaching consequences of the cancellation by the NCC.
Nigeria CommunicationsWeek however gathered that both the ministry and the NCC have now agreed to commence a new process following the official release of the 2.3GHz frequency spectrum to the NCC on Tuesday.
The spectrum was released to the NCC by the National Frequency Management Council (NFMC) charged with carrying out bulk trans-sectoral allocation of spectrum to authorized statutory bodies at their 14th meeting which held in the Conference room of the Ministry of Information and Communications.
Dr. Abubakar Mohammed, permanent Ssecretary to the ministry, in a statement Wednesday in Abuja said the new step is a way forward as earlier agreed between the minister and the NCC.
According to him “With this development the first step in the new sale process has begun”
While releasing the frequency band on Tuesday, Alhaji Ikra Bilbis, minister of State, Information and Communications who chaired the meeting noted that the ratification and release of frequency(s) by NFMC must be received before further processes are commenced given that the NFMC had in an earlier meeting questioned the right of NCC to commence the sale of the 2.3GHz frequency without a formal official release by the Council.
Some of the petitions against the 2.3GHz licensing round, concluded on May 8 is that the NCC only effectively gave the companies that indicated interest in the licence just a week (or five working days) within which to raise N1.3 billion to pay for each licence.
One of the petitions alleged that in this period of economic meltdown, five working days were not enough to raise the amount required before the deadline.
The NCC adverts were published Thursday, April 30, while May 1 was a public holiday and 2-3 fell on a weekend, leaving the firms just five working days to raise the fees.
It was also alleged that the exercise lacked transparency as the NCC was accused of adopting first-hand information approach with some companies said to have been favoured over others because they had prior information even before the commission placed the adverts in the papers with a week’s deadline given for payment.
One of the petitions called for a thorough investigation and alleged that one of the companies that was said to have scaled through by paying the required N1.3 billion actually paid only 1 per cent of the stipulated funds into the designated account the NCC mandated the companies to pay into.
The deluge of petitions led to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) quizzing Ndukwe to answer allegations of flouting due process.
One of the allegations against the NCC was that Mobitel, one of the successful applicants, who was able to raise and pay the N1.3 billion in less than five days, was said to be indebted to the commission to the tune of N246 million in October last year, which it was unable to pay, leading the NCC to waive a total of N243 million for Mobitel, leaving a balance of N3 million for the firm to pay.
Mobitel has faced a lot of challenges that threatened its existence since its President and CEO, Alaba Joseph, died in his office in 2005 following a failed bid by the receiver appointed by a bank to take over the company following a court order.
Ndukwe was also accused of spending beyond the budget limit and misleading the Federal Government into the award of contracts for community information centres in some states in the country.
Top officials of the NCC have been questioned by the EFCC on the matter. The Head of Finance and the Executive Commissioner for Engineering and Technical Standards were also said to have been questioned.
News
Toll Collection on Lagos-Calabar Highway Begins December

Senator David Umahi, the Minister of Works, has announced that a section of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway will be tolled starting in December.
Umahi disclosed this during an interview for a forthcoming State House documentary marking the second anniversary of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
He said: “By December, we will toll Section 1 of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway. We project a 10-year return on investment.
“The road has solar-powered lighting and CCTV infrastructure, and offers carbon credit advantages.
“It is more than a road; it is an economic corridor and a catalyst for regional growth.”
According to the minister, 30 kilometres of Section 1 have already been completed, with an additional 10 kilometres in Section 2 nearing delivery. Both segments feature six-lane concrete-paved carriageways, designed to meet modern standards for safety and durability.
Umahi further revealed that construction had commenced on Sections 3 and 3B of the highway, spanning a total of 65 kilometres, covering 38 kilometres in Cross River State and 27 kilometres in Akwa Ibom.
He described the positive response from local communities as a clear indication of the project’s wide-reaching socioeconomic benefits.
“Just days ago, we flagged off Sections 3 and 3B—65 kilometres in total, covering 38 kilometres in Cross River State and 27 kilometres in Akwa Ibom. The host communities’ excitement speaks to these projects’ transformative impact,” he said.
Umahi also highlighted the administration’s renewed focus on the Sokoto-Badagry superhighway, which he noted was part of a broader vision dating back to colonial-era trade plans.
“The Trans-Saharan trade route dates back to colonial-era planning. President Tinubu is now bringing these long-abandoned visions to life,” the minister explained.
News
Kaspersky Uncovers Dero Crypto Miner Spreading via Exposed Container Environments

Kaspersky Security Services experts have identified a sophisticated cyberattack campaign targeting containerized environments to deploy a miner for the Dero cryptocurrency.
The attackers abuse exposed Docker APIs — parts of Docker, an open-source container development platform. In 2025, there are a significant number of Docker API default ports that are insecurely published, accounting for almost 500 occurrences worldwide on average each month.
In the discovered campaign, cybercriminals inject two types of malwares into the compromised systems: one is the miner itself and the other is a propagation malware that can spread the campaign to other insecure container networks.
Kaspersky experts discovered this malicious campaign as part of a compromise assessment project. According to expert estimates, any organisation that operates containerized infrastructure — while exposing Docker APIs without robust security controls — can be a potential target. These may include technology companies, software development firms, hosting providers, cloud service providers and more enterprises.
According to Shodan, in 2025, there are 485 published Docker API default ports¹ worldwide each month on average. This figure illustrates the campaign’s potential attack surface by tallying the “entry points” — or insecurely exposed ports that attackers might target.
Once attackers identify an insecurely published Docker API, they either compromise existing containers or create new malicious ones based on a legitimate standard Ubuntu image. They then inject two malware types into the compromised containers: “nginx” and “cloud”.
The latter is a Dero cryptocurrency miner, while “nginx” is a malicious software that maintains persistence, ensures execution of the miner and scans for other exposed environments. This malware allows attackers to operate without traditional Command-and-Control (C2) servers; instead, each infected container independently scans the Internet and can spread the miner to new targets.
“The campaign has the potential for exponential growth of infections, with each compromised container acting as a new source of attack, if security measures are not immediately put in place in the potentially targeted networks,” explains Amged Wageh, an incident response and a compromise assessment expert at Kaspersky Security Services.
“Сontainers are foundational to software development, deployment, and scalability. Their widespread use across cloud-native environments, DevOps, and microservices architectures makes them an attractive target for cyber attackers. This growing reliance demands organisations adopt a 360-degree approach to security — combining robust security solutions with proactive threat hunting and regular compromise assessments”.
The attackers embedded the names “nginx” and “cloud” directly in the binary — an inflexible executable file composed of instructions and data for the processor, not for humans. This is a classic masquerading tactic that lets the payload pose as a legitimate tool, trying to deceive both analysts and automated defenses.
News
Manager, Others Arraigned for Allegedly Hacking into Premium Trust Bank’s Server

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Tuesday, charged five defendants before a Federal High Court in Lagos for allegedly hacking into the server of Premium Trust Bank.
The defendants are listed as the bank’s e-payment service manager, Matthew Adeniyi; Kehinde Odeyemi, a nursing mother; Samson Latshin, Bolaji Omotosho and Sunday Okunnola.
They were charged before Justice Alexander Owoeye, on a six-count charge bordering on conspiracy, cybercrime and unlawful access to the bank’s database.
They, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Mrs. Zeenat Atiku, prosecutor, alleged that they committed the offence between April and May this year, in collaboration with three others, now at large.
Those still at large are Isa Ismaila, Victor Joshua, also known as ‘Oracle’ as well as one other, simply identified as Humble.
According to the charge, the first defendant unlawfully disclosed sensitive credentials, including the bank’s server IP and domain details, to these parties.
She said this enabled an unauthorised access to the bank’s database and the consequent data breach allegedly resulted in financial gains of $10,000.
The prosecutor also alleged that the defendants attempted to intercept the bank’s network and procured a Hewlett-Packard ProBook 440 G9 laptop (serial No. SN#5CD2473N6G) configured to bypass the bank’s security systems.
The anti-graft agency said the alleged offences contravened the provisions of sections 12(1)(b), 27, 28(1)(b)(c) and 28(3) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition Act, 2015 (as amended in 2024).
Following their pleas, the prosecutor, requested for a trial date and sought an order to remand the defendants in custody.
Meanwhile, the court declined an oral bail by the defence counsel and directed that a formal bail application be filed.
He adjourned the case until June 30, for trial and ordered that the defendants be remanded at the Nigerian correctional centre, pending bail.
The court, however, added that the defence may apply for an earlier trial date, upon filing their bail applications.
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