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The ‘Yahoo-Yahoo’ business, formally known as cyber fraud in Nigeria’s cybercrime law, is not a new phenomenon in the country.
The illicit business, mostly perpetrated by young men and sometimes women, is an offshoot of the so-called ‘419’ business of the 1980s and 1990s.
The 419 code is derived from a section of the country’s Criminal Act Section 419 (Advance Free Fraud) which frowns at obtaining money from people through pretence or impersonation, cheating, falsification, counterfeiting, forgery and fraudulent representation of facts.
Internet fraud has now been here for decades and does not seem to be declining in spite of the government’s efforts to stem the tide of the crime that has given the country a bad reputation.
TODAY
January 12, 2021
A civil rights group, the Joint Action Front (JAF), has accused the anti-graft agency, EFCC, of arresting and illegally parading its member, Segun Oladunni, among nine other suspected internet fraudsters.
The group in a statement on Tuesday, by its executive secretary, Abiodun Aremu, said the EFCC operatives ”maliciously paraded” Mr Oladunni where he lives with other co-tenants ”and labelled him as a fraudster without carrying thorough investigation”.
It described the action as ”a high level of character assassination and prejudicial assertion against its member.”
The group said since the arrest, ”the EFCC Investigating team are yet to grant the accused bail after finding nothing incriminating against him despite ‘checking his bank accounts’ and (he) fulfilling all necessary bail conditions yesterday (Monday) morning”.
The suspected internet fraudsters paraded by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on January 11, 2021.
Ten suspected internet fraudsters have been arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
In a statement issued on Monday by EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, the suspects were apprehended in an early morning operation in the Alagbado area of Lagos State on Saturday.
Their arrest, Uwujaren said, following credible intelligence received by the commission about their alleged criminal activities.
The anti-graft agency listed suspects as Jonathan Daniel Adebayo, Lawal Waidi Seun, Adeosun Joseph, Taiwo Gbemileke, Oseni Omotayo, Emmanuel Fakiyesi, Rasheed Ogunlana, Oladunni Segun, Sowunmi Rotimi and Efetobore Wilfred.