‘Flagrant Lie’, Israeli Company Denies Hacking Buhari’s Records Ahead Of 2015 Election

An Israeli private intelligence firm, Black Cube, has denied hacking President Muhammadu Buhari’s records ahead of the 2015 elections.

The firm in a statement late Tuesday, was reacting to allegations it was hired by British political consulting firm, Cambridge Analytica, to hack the Nigerian President’s record.

According to UK Guardian, a Nigeria billionaire whose identity was not revealed, reportedly hired SCL, a data analytics company, to paint President Muhammadu Buhari bad in the buildup to the 2015 elections.

SCL is the parent company of Cambridge Analytical, a data marketing firm, which harvests data from different sources and creates microtargets, with the ultimate goal of changing audience behaviour. It is reputed as one of the factors responsible for the outcome of the U.S presidential election and the Brexit vote of 2016.

Christopher Wylie, a Canadian whistleblower who was the former Director of Research at Cambridge Analytica told a UK parliamentary committee on Tuesday that SCL worked with Black Cube to hack Buhari

“The company (Cambridge Analytica) utilised the services of an Israeli private intelligence firm, Black Cube,” Wylie reportedly said.

“Black Cube on the Nigeria campaign was engaged to hack the now-President Buhari to get access to his medical records and private emails.”

But reacting, Black Cube said: “Whilst we are flattered that we are seemingly being connected with every international incident that occurs, we will state that Chris Wylie’s testimony is a flagrant lie.”

The firm said it not any of its affiliates worked for SCL or Cambridge Analytica, or ever operated in Nigeria or on any Nigerian-connected project.

It added that it will investigate Wylie’s claims to “reveal the truth and the motive” behind them, and will also “launch a massive defamation suit against any entity that we will find involved, including Christopher Wylie, SCL or Cambridge Analytical, for any pound they still have or don’t have.”