The official website of the Edo State Government has been compromised and is now displaying content from Casibom, a Turkish digital betting platform. Attempts to access other pages return error messages, suggesting a complete takeover of the state government’s website.

FIJ first noticed the breach on Monday while tracking reports and implementation details of the state’s SABER projects. At press time, the situation remained unchanged.

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FIJ found that a few things could be responsible for the situation of the website. For one, attackers may have altered or replaced core website files, embedding gambling content without triggering redirection. If the domain expired or was mismanaged, an external party could have legally acquired or hijacked it.

A breach of the hosting server may also have allowed attackers to overwrite government content entirely. Additionally, altered Domain Name System (DNS) records might be redirecting visitors to a server controlled by the attackers.

Casibom, now operating under the state government’s domain, holds an Antillephone 8048/JAZ Licence under Curaçao’s regulatory framework. The platform is registered under Coinbar NV, based in Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles.

This takeover means the government’s website falls short of standards set by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), which mandates that government institutions maintain secure web platforms to ensure continuous accessibility and data integrity.

Section 7.2 of the NITDA Guidelines for Government Websites explicitly requires institutions to implement robust security measures, including web server protection, authentication protocols and SSL encryption.

However, when FIJ checked, the SSL certificate for the Edo website was flagged as unsafe.

NITDA also mandates that all government websites remain operational 24/7. Section 7.1 requires agencies to ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of their web resources at all times.

Beyond regulatory compliance, uninterrupted website availability is also crucial for funding considerations. Organisations like the World Bank assess online accessibility as an indicator of ease of doing business.

Under the Business Facilitation Act, ministries, departments, and agencies must maintain updated online inventories of their services, charges and other relevant information to promote transparency and public accountability.

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FIJ traced the website’s technical contact to Donatus Igiekhume. He was listed as a staff of the Edo State Information Communication Technology Agency on the website’s domain details page. However, repeated calls to his listed number have not connected since Tuesday.

Efforts to reach the Edo State Ministry of Digital Economy, Science and Technology have also been unsuccessful, as calls did not connect and messages remained unacknowledged at press time.