Many young people in Nigeria are enmeshed in the rat race for undeserved wealth through fraudulent online operations, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has warned stakeholders.
This was revealed in a statement titled “EFCC Decries Youths’ Involvement in Cybercrime in Lagos” that was released on Friday.
This was said by Ahmed Ghali, the Acting Zonal Director of the EFCC’s Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, at a seminar with the theme “The Role of the Boy Child in Community Development and Safety” that was hosted by the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC).
He voiced alarm over the country’s youth engagement in cybercrime.
Alleged Crime Involvement of Youths
Many young people have risked their careers on the altar of excessive ambition, claims Ghali.
“Many young people are not only immoral, but they have also fallen victim to the rat race for undeserved wealth through fraudulent online activities,” he continued.
As lovely as the young people’s aspirations may be, Ghali said, they may be doomed from the beginning if they do not adopt a culture of honesty and discipline.
The cause is obvious: a growing number of young people are turning to antisocial behaviors that might disturb the peace, hurt others, or harm the environment. Along with other well-known antisocial behaviors, many young people now engage in cyber fraud as a hobby, he continued.
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He added that while many young Nigerians today have an unquenchable drive to use the internet to earn money and grow financially, the majority’s strategy has been incorrect.
“You can improve your financial situation and help your community grow if you use the internet responsibly. But if you decide to utilize the internet for illegal activities, you will endanger not just your innocent victims but also your own objectives.
Instead of wasting their energy and creativity on schemes that defraud innocent people and organizations, he counseled young people to focus their energies and inventiveness on investigating respectable online revenue streams.
Additional Perspectives
Prince Samuel Olaoluwa Akintoye, the Chairman of the PCRC, Bode Thomas Division/Organizing Secretary, Area C Command, Surulere, Lagos State, stated in his remarks that the initiative’s goal was to raise a generation of morally upright, responsible, and patriotic young people who would not only better their own lives but also advance Nigeria’s social progress.
He emphasized that the initiative’s goal is to offer a worthwhile chance to involve stakeholders and offer advice on negotiating the challenging routes to achieving their goals.
According to him, young people should consider how they can support the growth of their local communities.
The statement claims that among other people, Chief Alaka Yusuf Lukman Owolabi, President of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, Lagos, and Prof. (Mrs.) Aderonke Lawal-Are, Director of the University of Lagos’ Centre for General Studies/Department of Marine Sciences, graced the occasion.
Things You Need to Know
This comes months after the EFCC warned Nigerians about intelligence showing that online scammers are now carrying firearms and committing crimes like ritual killings.
The Commission further stated that the actions of online scammers are becoming more and more dangerous for the security and safety of the general people.
According to intelligence, these criminals are armed and have engaged in ritual killings, banditry, kidnapping, and other violent crimes. According to the EFCC, the people shouldn’t give up or let themselves be tricked into believing they are just “Yahoo boys and girls.”
The anti-graft agency had issued the warning while expressing sorrow over the death of one of its officers, Assistant Superintendent of the EFCC, ASE11 Aminu Sahabi Harisu, who was allegedly killed in cold blood on January 17, 2025, while performing official duties while pursuing Joshua Chukwubueze Ikechukwu, a suspected online fraudster.
