Stakeholders have been warned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that a large number of Nigerian adolescents are involved in fraudulent internet activities that can lead to undeserved wealth.
The statement, “EFCC Decries Youths’ Involvement in Cybercrime in Lagos,” released this information on Friday.
At a seminar hosted by the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) with the theme “The Role of the Boy Child in Community Development and Safety,” Ahmed Ghali, the Acting Zonal Director of the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the EFCC, made this statement.
He voiced concern over young people’s participation in cybercrime in the nation.
Alleged Criminal Involvement of Young People
Many young people have put their careers in danger because of their overzealous ambition, claims Ghali.
The speaker went on to say that “many young people are not only immoral but have also fallen victim to the rat race for undeserved wealth through fraudulent online activities.”
Even if the young people’s ambitions are lovely, Ghali said that if they don’t adopt a culture of honesty and discipline, they may be doomed from the beginning.
The cause is evident: a growing number of young people are turning to antisocial behaviors that endanger people, disturb the peace, or harm the environment. Along with well-known antisocial behaviors, internet fraud has grown to be a popular past time for many young people, he continued.
Although he acknowledged that the majority of Nigerian teenagers have adopted a mistaken mentality, he highlighted that many of them now have an unquenchable drive to use the internet to earn money and grow financially.
When used properly, the internet may help you advance financially and make a positive impact on the growth of your community. But if you decide to utilize the internet for illegal activities, you can endanger your own objectives in addition to hurting your gullible victims.
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He counseled young people to focus their creativity and energy on investigating respectable online revenue streams instead of wasting it on schemes that defraud innocent people and organizations.
Further Perspectives
The initiative’s goal, according to Prince Samuel Olaoluwa Akintoye, Chairman of the PCRC, Bode Thomas Division/Organizing Secretary, Area C Command, Surulere, Lagos State, is to raise a generation of morally upright, responsible, and patriotic youth who will not only better their own lives but also advance Nigerian society.
The initiative’s goal, he emphasized, is to offer a worthwhile chance to involve stakeholders and offer advice on negotiating the intricate routes to achieving their potential.
He believed that young people should consider how they may use their influence to help their communities grow.
Aderonke Lawal-Are, the director of the University of Lagos’ Centre for General Studies and Department of Marine Sciences, and Chief Alaka Yusuf Lukman Owolabi, the president of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools in Lagos, were among those who attended the occasion, according to the statement.
Things You Must Understand
The EFCC warned Nigerians months ago that online scammers are now carrying firearms and committing ritual killings, among other crimes, according to intelligence.
Additionally, the Commission stated that the actions of online scammers are growing more and more dangerous for public security and safety.
These criminals are involved in ritual killings, banditry, kidnapping, and other terrible crimes, according to intelligence. They also carry weapons. The EFCC had said, “The public should not fold its arms or allow itself to be deceived into thinking they are merely ‘Yahoo boys and girls’.”
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 while performing official duties on January 17, 2025, while pursuing a suspected online fraudster, Joshua Chukwubueze Ikechukwu, the anti-graft agency had issued the alarm.
