CISLAC APPLAUDS EFCC OVER LANDMARK CYBERCRIME RAID IN LAGOS…………
By: Safiya Abdulrahim Dabban
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has commended the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for its recent clampdown on a massive cybercrime syndicate in Lagos.
On December 10, 2024, EFCC operatives stormed a seven-story building in Victoria Island, arresting 792 suspects linked to a sophisticated cryptocurrency and romance scam network. Most of the suspects were foreign nationals, including 148 Chinese and 40 Filipinos, while others came from Pakistan, Indonesia, and Kharzartan.
CISLAC’s Executive Director, Auwal Rafsanjani, described the operation as a major breakthrough in Nigeria’s fight against cybercrime, stressing that it showed EFCC’s commitment to tackling criminal networks that exploit Nigerians for illicit gains.
He urged the commission to conduct a transparent and thorough investigation, ensuring that all suspects, regardless of nationality, face justice.
CISLAC also called on the government to invest more in youth empowerment, digital literacy, and cyber-safety programs to protect young Nigerians from being lured into online fraud and used as local operatives by international syndicates.
The EFCC revealed that the syndicate trained young Nigerians to serve as “fronts,” concealing the identities of the foreign masterminds behind the operation.
This arrest marks one of Nigeria’s biggest cybercrime crackdowns and reinforces calls for stronger collaboration between security agencies, civil society, and government in protecting citizens from digital fraud.