EFCC Chairman Raises Alarm Over Rising Cybercrime Among Nigerian University Students

Olanipekun Olukoyede, the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, expressed alarm over the growing number of Nigerian university students involved in cybercrime, claiming that roughly six out of ten undergraduates commit online fraud.

Olukoyede revealed this at the 8th Biennial Conference of the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities, which was held in Kano, according to Daily Trust on Tuesday. He called the trend concerning and a threat to the future of the nation.

Approximately six out of ten students at our universities are involved in cybercrime, according to my research conducted over the past year. "It's a really unsettling situation," he remarked.

He pointed out that the commission's investigations and field operations have shown that a large number of suspects detained for cyber-related offenses are students, with some apparently going so far as to hire instructors to undermine academic procedures.

He claims that the development is a reflection of more fundamental structural problems with the university system, such as inadequate supervision and administrative weaknesses.

The head of the EFCC mentioned a recent operation in Lagos that resulted in the arrest of 792 people connected to a worldwide cybercrime organization, noting that a sizable portion of those detained were undergraduates.

He claimed that the operation, which was aided by artificial intelligence techniques, revealed the scope and complexity of cybercrime networks that operate both inside and outside of Nigeria.

Olukoyede also voiced alarm about the emerging "Yahoo Plus" trend, which combines internet fraud with fetishistic behaviors, cautioning that the phenomena presents hazards to both security and morality.

He urged governing councils and university administrators to take immediate action to stop the threat by bolstering institutional controls and working with law enforcement.

"A university cannot legitimately train future professionals if it lacks financial accountability. "National security is at stake in the integrity of our universities," he stated.

Given that many universities still rely on manual processes that are vulnerable to abuse, the chairman of the EFCC promoted the use of artificial intelligence in university governance to increase transparency and identify fraud.