EFCC Names Lekki Hotbed Of Cyber Crimes, Arrest 402 Suspects
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has disclosed that it arrested 402 suspected Internet fraudsters in Lekki, Lagos, between April and June 2021.
It noted that 64 percent of the suspects benefitted from dating scams to the tune of N8, 310,000; $349,290; £ 900; €10 and Cryptocurrency 0.17513.
This was disclosed in a statement on Friday by EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, titled, ‘Lekki, now a hotbed of cybercrime – EFCC.’
It read, “Between April and June 2021, the Advance Fee Fraud and Cyber Crime Sections of the Lagos Command recorded a total of 402 internet-related fraud arrests.
“While the Advance Fee Fraud Section was responsible for 243 arrests, the Cybercrime Section executed 18 sting operations which resulted in 159 arrests, from which 13 convictions have so far been recorded.
“Of the 159 suspects arrested by the Cybercrime Section, 70 are from Lekki, comprising communities such as Ajah, Badore, Victoria Garden City, Sangotedo, and Oniru.”
It further noted that Lekki, the fast-developing upper-middle-class area of the Lagos metropolis, is emerging as the new hub of Internet scammers, the commission said Ajah accounted for 24 suspects, while Oniru and Sangotedo had 14 and 13 suspects, respectively.
It added that Badore had eight suspects while the neighbouring Ikoyi and Eko Atlantic had two and one suspect each.