Following a massive crackdown by the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), suspected internet fraudsters otherwise known as Yahoo boys have gone underground in some major towns in Ekiti State.
The anti-graft agency had carried out not less than four massive raids on the hideouts of Yahoo boys in some residential areas of Ado Ekiti and some tertiary institutions.
In the last few months, about 80 suspects were arrested in some locations in Ekiti and whisked away to the EFCC zonal office in Ibadan in the last two months in a raid code named “Operation Cyber Storm.”
The Nation investigation on Monday revealed that many of the Yahoo boys in Ado-Ekiti and Ikere Ekiti have started fleeing to avoid being caught by the anti-graft agency net.
Our reporter also gathered that many of them no longer parade the streets of Ado, Ikere and other parts of the state with their exotic cars, blaring loud music as it used to be.
A visit to hotels, night clubs, pubs and other fun spots patronized by the Yahoo boys revealed that many of them are on the run to escape arrest.
Unlike before, the hotels and fun spots located in places like Adebayo, Ilawe Road, Poly Road and GRA no longer brim with Yahoo boys.
A security source familiar with the development said: “This is not the best of times for these Yahoo boys many of whom had fled the state following massive raids carried out by the EFCC men.
“There major fear for those yet to be arrested is that they don’t know when next the EFCC operatives will storm the state against effect another arrest hence the need to take to their heels.
“The Yahoo boys and their girlfriends know that they are being monitored and tracked by security agents and the best approach is to either go underground or flee to escape arrest.”
A worker in one of the hotels patronised by Yahoo boys said: “It is true that most of them no longer come to our place to have fun with their colleagues and girlfriends as it used to be in the recent past.
“The last raid carried out in this place is still fresh in their memory and I believe that might have been the reason why they no longer come here for now. And this has brought economic and social activities to stand still.”
A resident, Tope Adaraniwon, urged the EFCC not to relent in ridding the state of the menace of Internet scam which he said was against the Ekiti core values of integrity and hard work.
He said: “This is a welcome development because these boys have constituted themselves to tin gods who cannot be touched but it is no longer business as usual.
“You must work hard in a legitimate and godly way to earn your wealth and not by fraudulent and foul means and still having the effrontery to be displaying ill-gotten riches around.”
The first EFCC swoop in Ekiti was recorded on July 10 with over 30 suspects arrested and spirited to the zonal office in Ibadan.
The EFCC operatives in another raid carried out on August 7 arrested four students of the Ekiti State University (EKSU) for alleged involvement in cyber crime.
They were picked up by the EFCC operative at the school gate and their hostels and taken out of the state to face the rigours of interrogation.
The latest EFCC clampdown was recorded last Friday (August 16) at the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti where unspecified number of students was arrested for alleged involvement in Internet scam. (The Nation)
