The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) on Monday disclosed that perpetrators of internet fraud are now using people for rituals and have also graduated to doing sextortion.
EFCC Spokesperson Dele Oyewale in a statement quoted the Ag.Zonal Director, Lagos Zonal Command of the commission, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, ACE1 Michael T. Wetkaz to have stated this when the Sector Commander, FRSC, Lagos State Sector Command, Corps Commander Patrick Davou, paid him a courtesy visit to strengthen their existing collaboration.
Wetkaz who decried the disturbing involvement of youths in cybercrimes, noted: “Now, perpetrators of internet fraud even use people for rituals and have also graduated to doing sextortion. This has become an international disaster, as suicide seems to be the option for the victims abroad.
“In the EFCC, our mandate is very wide. Recently, we keep hearing that it is just “Yahoo Yahoo” cases that the EFCC is fighting. But you will be surprised at the damage it does to the country in the comity of nations.
“But we have recorded good progress in that regard so much so that the international community had to ensure our flags were flown in one of their events.
“The reputational damage of cybercrimes is a lot and we are trying to mitigate this and find ways to stop it.”
Disclosing that the EFCC recently investigated some cases involving 100 suspects, he added: “We had to do an analysis to diagnose the cause of yahoo yahoo and statistics showed that 61 percent of their parents were aware, 64 percent were still staying with their parents, 62 percent were sponsoring their parents. So, who do we hold?”
He, therefore, advised that all hands must be on deck to stamp the menace out of our society, adding that “I want us to understand that the future is bleak if our children pursue a life of yahoo yahoo.
Wetkas expressed his gratitude to Davou and his team and also requested the FRSC to offer its shoulders, more than ever before, to the EFCC to lean on, especially in the area of information sharing.
He said: “We can see that you have a robust database. I know that the FRSC has always been a step ahead with the use of technology. This is highly commendable.
“So, you can also assist us to query certain things and get more information that will be useful to our investigations. We have a lot of exhibit cars. We will therefore be collaborating more with your office.”
Speaking earlier, Davou acknowledged the vital roles of the Commission in checkmating the fraudulent activities of some citizens and foreigners alike.
While highlighting the mandate of the FRSC, which he said included manning the highways and reducing congestion on roads so as to ensure that the economic activities of the country are not affected, he explained that the FRSC had recently developed a software to enhance its activities.
He disclosed that the FRSC was willing to render technical aid for the commission whenever it might be needed.
According to him: “We are saddled with a lot of responsibilities.
“We man the highways to ensure the safety of Nigerians and that properties are protected.
“We ensure our roads are motorable and we reduce congestion on our roads, so the economic activities of the country are not affected.
“We have now come up with an App that enables anyone to easily access information about our activities.
“Safety is a shared responsibility and we have collaborated well with the EFCC, hence our visit today.“
