The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) says Nigeria is disproportionately linked to global internet fraud syndicates, despite evidence showing foreign nationals as major players.
Executive Director of CISLAC, Auwal Rafsanjani, commended the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for the arrest of 792 suspects involved in cryptocurrency investment and romance scam networks. He noted that most of those arrested were foreigners, including 148 Chinese, 40 Filipinos, two Kazakhs, one Pakistani and one Indonesian.
Rafsanjani said the operation, conducted on December 10 at a seven-storey building in Victoria Island, Lagos, was a significant breakthrough. According to him, it challenged the narrative that Nigerians were the primary perpetrators of internet fraud, revealing instead that foreign masterminds often recruit and exploit vulnerable Nigerian youth.
He urged government to increase investment in youth-focused initiatives, digital safeguards, and cyber-literacy programmes, while stressing the need for collaboration among EFCC, Nigeria Immigration Service, and Nigeria Customs Service to close gaps exploited by foreign cybercriminals.
(NAN)