The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has revealed that Nigerians should expect bigger and more cybercrime suspects as the commission continue its investigation on the 80 names of suspects released by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI)recently.
This was disclosed by the zonal head of EFCC, Ibadan zonal office, Mr Friday Ebelo, during a press briefing at the commission’s head office in Ibadan, on Wednesday.
Ebelo said the commission has begun background checks on the 80 Nigerians arrested by the FBI on cybercrime-related offences.
He said: “The EFCC will do everything within its constitutional powers to ensure that interest 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 dear country are prosecuted.
“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 remains intact and yielding mutual benefit.
“I want to assure you that by the time we conclude our investigations, we will unravel bigger suspects because the figure currently released by the FBI is like one percent of the cycle of persons involved in cybercrime network.
“Just yesterday, (Tuesday), a banker who is involved in recovering cash from foreign currency to naira at a local bank in Nigeria, He is currently helping the commission with information on our investigation.”
The zonal head added that the Ibadan zone had recorded huge success by arresting a total number of 263 cybercrime suspects related offences in 2019 while 111 of them have been convicted and sentenced to various jail terms.
Ebelo stated the commission had also recovered money in foreign and local currencies-$52,702, 400 Canadian dollars, 60 pounds, 2,400 Euro and N7,461,378 on cybercrime-related only in 2019.
He informed further one of the kingpin of internet fraud, Ajayi Gbenga Festus, recently arrested during one of its operations in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti state, in conjunction with other cybercriminals abroad “in a sophisticated web of conspiracy designed to illegally access accounts of individuals and organisations to defraud them of their money.”
He informed that the commission had established “a number of illicit transactions through his Nigerian bank account amounting to over N223 million. Ajayi serves as conduit pope through which proceeds of crime reach members of the syndicate.”
Ajayi is said to have made a total over N75million from his deals.
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