Six in 10 Nigerian University Students Involved in Cybercrime – EFCC Chairman

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has raised concern over what he described as a deepening crisis of cybercrime among Nigerian undergraduates, saying about six in every 10 university students are involved in internet fraud.

Olukoyede made the disclosure on Tuesday in Kano at the opening of the 8th biennial conference of the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities in Nigeria (COPSUN), themed “Unlocking the potentials of artificial intelligence: University governance, internationalisation and rankings.”

He said the figure was based on findings from recent EFCC field operations and investigations across the country.

“My research in the last one year has shown that about six out of 10 students in our universities are into cybercrime. It is a very disturbing situation,” he said.

The EFCC boss attributed the trend to weak institutional oversight, poor accountability systems within universities, and declining ethical standards among young people.

He further alleged that some students arrested in recent anti-cybercrime operations were part of organised fraud networks, adding that in some cases, the integrity of academic institutions had been compromised through illicit financial dealings.

Olukoyede referenced a major operation in Lagos in December 2024, where 792 suspected cyber fraudsters were arrested, a significant number of whom were said to be undergraduates.

He also expressed concern over the growing phenomenon of “Yahoo Plus”, a term used to describe alleged internet fraud combined with ritual practices, warning that it signals a deeper moral and societal decay.

“A university that lacks financial accountability cannot credibly train future professionals. The integrity of our universities is a matter of national security,” he added.

Olukoyede called on university authorities to strengthen internal control systems and deepen collaboration with security and anti-corruption agencies to curb the trend.

He further advocated the use of artificial intelligence in tackling fraud, particularly in payroll monitoring, procurement tracking, and academic integrity systems, noting that the EFCC had already begun deploying AI tools in digital forensics and financial investigations.

Source: Vanguard