EFCC urges FBI cybercrimes suspects to surrender

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has advised the 80 Nigerians indicted in massive cybercrime cases been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States of America to come out of their hiding and clear their names before its (EFCC) operatives get to them.

The commission which noted that it is in their own interest to come out assures that in no time, its operatives will arrest those of them within the shores of the country, adding that the operatives have begun a background check on the suspects.

The Ibadan Zonal Head of the anti-graft agency, Mr Friday Ebelo gave the advice on Wednesday during a press conference at its Iyaganku, Ibadan zonal office.

According to Ebelo, the zonal office of the agency has since the beginning of the year have arrested a total of 263 suspects for cybercrime related offences out of which 111 had been convicted and sentenced to various jail terms.

Additionally, he said the agency has recovered huge sums of money in local and foreign currencies aside from getting the nod of the courts to forfeit valuable items established to have been benefits of internet-related crimes, including landed properties, vehicles, laptops, phones and many others.

Ebelo puts the recovered monies at N7,461,378, US$56,452; 400 Canadian Dollars, 65 Pounds and 2,400 Euros, noting that the EFCC is in constant collaboration with international organisations with a similar mandate, especially the FBI in efforts to curb internet crimes and illicit funds transfer.

He further disclosed the arrest of one internet fraud kingpin, Ajayi Gbenga Festus, arrested in Ekiti state and alleged to be working with other cybercriminals abroad in what he described as highly sophisticated web of a conspiracy designed to illegally access accounts of individuals and organisations to defraud them of their money.

He said Festus illicit transactions made through his Nigerian bank accounts amounting to N223million has been established, noting that the suspects serve as a conduit pipe through which proceeds of crime reach members of the syndicate.

Describing the news of the 80 indicted Nigerians on the FBI cybercrime cases as shocking and embarrassing, Ebelo lamented that the agency cannot take its eyes off the cases as a result of the insignificant number in relations to the 200million population of the country.

He promised that the EFCC would do everything within its constitutional powers to ensure that the interests of hardworking and law-abiding Nigerians are adequately protected, attributing the success achieved so far by the Zone to the exemplary leadership of the Acting Chairman of the Commission, Mr Ibrahim Magu.

Ebelo said, “Nigerians are known to be creative, hardworking and intelligent. And this has been effectively proven by records of many groundbreaking achievements attributed to Nigerians within and outside the shores of the country. Many of these unusual feats were recorded in a foreign land, especially the United States of America and the Western world in general.

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“Yet, we cannot pretend to be oblivious of the nagging impact of the illicit activities of the few who have chosen to be the black sheep within the fold. Despite their seemingly insignificant population, their acts often rare a thick pall of gloom whenever and wherever they gain ‘success’.

“But beyond the fuming anger and acute despondency that greet the development, our commission has rather seen a challenge that reinforces our resolve to never relent on our commitment to our constitutional mandate.

“As a responsible organization, the EFCC will do everything within its constitutional powers to ensure that interests of hardworking and law-abiding Nigerians are adequately protected, and that they are not denied the fruit of their labour by the recalcitrant few.

“We will also continue to work assiduously to ensure that those who engage in acts capable of tarnishing the good image of our country do not escape the cold hand of the law.

“To achieve this, the commission is in constant collaboration with international organisations with a similar mandate as ours, especially the FBI, in efforts to curb internet crimes and illicit funds transfer. Our longstanding collaborative engagement with the FBI and other law enforcement agencies remain intact and yielding mutual benefits.

“Our zone, in particular, has recorded huge success on account of this. This year alone, we have arrested a total of 263 suspects for cybercrime-related offences. 111 of them were convicted and sentenced to various jail terms.

“The zone has also recovered a huge sum of money in local and foreign currencies. We equally got the nod of the court to forfeit valuable items establish to have been benefits of internet-related crimes. These include landed properties, vehicles, laptops, phones and many others.