The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ola Olukoyede, has raised concerns over the growing threat of internet fraud, popularly known as Yahoo Yahoo.
Mr Olukoyede, during a public presentation of two books authored by retired High Court judge, Justice Alaba Omolaye-Ajileye, recounted how fraudsters emptied ₦7.2 million from the bank account of a serving judge in the middle of the night.
According to Mr Olukoyede, he was awakened around 1 a.m. by a distress call from a serving judge in one of the South-South states, who had just fallen victim to cybercriminals.
He explained that the judge said she had been saving the money for six years to pay her child’s school fees. She was alerted by multiple debit notifications that came in around midnight, and before she could stop the transactions, about ₦7.2 million had been withdrawn from her account.
Olukoyede revealed that the incident occurred in the same state where a court had earlier restrained the EFCC from investigating certain financial crimes.
He recalled telling the judge that there was already an injunction limiting the commission’s activities in the state. However, the judge reportedly insisted that her case was an exception and urged the EFCC to act immediately.
The EFCC chairman said the commission swung into action and successfully recovered the entire ₦7.2 million before 6 p.m. the same day, adding that that experiencing such a crime firsthand changes people’s perception of the importance of the EFCC’s work. expressing confidence that anyone who becomes a victim would better appreciate the need for the commission to carry out its responsibilities without unnecessary restrictions.
He stressed that tackling financial crimes requires the collective efforts of law enforcement agencies, the judiciary, government institutions, and ordinary Nigerians.
According to him, only through collaboration can the country overcome the menace of cybercrime, expressing confidence that Nigeria can successfully defeat the challenge.
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