EFCC WARNS OF FOREIGN SYNDICATES RECRUITING YOUNG NIGERIANS FOR CRYPTO FRAUD
The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, has raised alarms concerning organised foreign fraud syndicates establishing criminal cells in Nigerian cities and recruiting young Nigerians into cybercrimes, including cryptocurrency fraud.
According to a statement released by the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, yesterday, Olukoyede made these remarks while receiving participants of the Executive Intelligence Management Course from the National Institute for Security Studies, led by its Director of Studies, Hyginus Ngele.
Olukayode disclosed that recent EFCC intelligence suggests that foreign fraudsters are also illegally importing arms into Nigeria using cryptocurrency as a means of payment.
He stated that special operations carried out in Lagos recently saw the arrests of 194 foreigners in the heart of Victoria Island, among which were Chinese, Filipinos, Eastern Europeans, Tunisians, and others, all in a single building. He revealed that some of the foreigners lacked valid visas, and most of their financial activities were conducted through cryptocurrency.
Olukoyede further noted that some of the arrested foreigners were ex-convicts in their home countries who had escaped prosecution and sought refuge in Nigeria and other African nations.
He questioned how bandits and insurgents have sustained their activities over the years, highlighting the uncontrolled flow of small arms and light weapons across Nigerian borders.
