Hackers Take Down Bayelsa Hacking Firm

Governor Seriake Dickson

A digital surveillance firm, Hacking Team, employed by the Bayelsa state Governor, Seriake Dickson, to Spy and clampdown on internet users was Sunday night hacked PREMIUM TIMES has reported.

415GB of the Italian firm’s internal data was leaked as hackers took over the firm’s Twitter account disseminating the leaked torrent files.

Released documents shows Hacking Team working for Bayelsa state Governor, Seriake Dickson, US security firm including FBI, the Department of Defense, and the Drug Enforcement Agency and many authorities in Sudan, UAE, Russia, Bahrain and Ethiopia.

Reports however did not state the exact surveillance task the firm carried out for Bayelsa state government but the project with the Bayelsa state government was within the period of the state’s clampdown on one of its former employees, Tonye Okio, for allegedly criticizing the Bayelsa State governor, Mr. Dickson, on his Facebook page.

However, an employee of the firm argued that his company had done nothing illegal. “The people responsible for this will be arrested,” he said.

“We are working with the police at the moment. Don’t believe everything you see. Most of what the attackers are claiming is simply not true…The attackers are spreading a lot of lies about our company that is simply not true.”