The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has disclosed that it has arrested 402 suspected internet fraudsters in Lekki and other parts of Lagos State between the period of April to June, 2021.
The anti-graft agency who revealed this in a statement said the suspects were arrested through collaborative efforts of the Advance Fee Fraud and Cyber Crime Sections of the Lagos state Command.
According to the statement, Lekki is fast becoming a preferred location for Internet fraudsters in the country.
The anti-graft agency further disclosed that majority of the arrested internet fraudster are aged between 25 to 34 years, adding that most of the suspects are either undergraduates or university drop outs.
The statement reads, “Lekki, the fast-developing upper-middle-class area of Lagos Metropolis, is emerging as the new hub of internet-related fraud.
“Data from the investigation activities of the Lagos Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for the second quarter of 2021, indicates that Lekki District is the preferred location for all manner of cyber fraud syndicates.
“Between April and June, 2021, the Advance Fee Fraud and Cyber Crime Sections of the Command recorded a total of 402 internet-related fraud arrests. While the Advance Fee Fraud Section was responsible for 243 arrests, the Cyber Crime Section executed 18 sting operations which resulted in 159 arrests, from which 13 convictions have so far been recorded.
“Of the 159 suspects arrested by the Cyber Crime Section, 70 are from Lekki, comprising communities such as Ajah, Badore, Victoria Garden City, Sangotedo and Oniru.
“Ajah accounted for 24 suspects, while Oniru and Sangotedo had 14 and 13 suspects respectively. Badore had 8 suspects. Neighbouring Ikoyi and Eko Atlantic had 2 and one suspect each. Ikorodu and Alagbado on the Lagos Mainland make up the remainder.
“The suspects are mostly millennials, with 82 of them aged between 25-34 years, which speaks to the fact that most of the individuals arrested are either still in school, recent graduates or university drop outs,” it added.
