EFCC Says Imo Has Highest Cases Of Cybercrimes In South East

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Monday, November 18th, 2019

From Ignatius Okpara, Enugu

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC) on Monday said that Imo State, South- East Nigeria, presently has the highest number of Cybercrime cases in the Geo Political zone, just as the agency has recorded a total of 90 convictions between January till date in the region.

It said most of the convicts are graduates, undergraduates and serving members of the national youths’ service corps NYSC.

Southeast regional Commander of the EFCC in the Usman Iman disclosed this at the 16th Anti-Corruption Situation Room (ACSR) programme put together by HEDA\UK Ken university in conjunction with MacArthur Foundation, as well as other organizations.

The programme, which is also a special skill training event on how to trace illicit assets and stolen funds was attended by stakeholders from parts of Nigeria and south east zone.

Imam, who is an Assistant Commissioner of police ACP, who expressed worry over the increasing rate of cybercrimes in South- East, particularly imo State, was really disturbing, saying that the unofficial statistics he got about the state was really disturbing.

He said: “Imo definitely must have recorded the highest cybercrime cases in the South East Zone. The rate of Cybercrime cases in Imo is really disturbing honesty.

“I was talking with an imolite who gave me an unofficial statistic that is disturbing because he told me that among five youths of the state the likelihood of 3 or 4 are involved in Cybercrime.

According to Imam, ” this is really disturbing, we did some major raids, even the last raid we brought in 31 persons, after the initial forensic analyses of items recorded, about 27 were indicted and being prosecuted. It is disturbing honesty”

The zonal Commander however, urged government, the media, and other stakeholders, including religious organizations to join them in the campaign that will stop the ugly situation, adding that they cannot afford to continue convicting our youths who future leaders of such crimes.

“We need to find out other ways of doing a massive campaign to slow down the trend because it is also giving us bad names within comity of nations. You see a young man buying a royal bed for N800, 000, buying cars. we need to tell our youths that they need to work hard , they need to go to school”

In his remarks at the event, convener of the programme, Mr Suraj Olanrewaju explained that they organized the ceremony with a view to fashion out ways of ensuring that government social intervention programmes get to the people.

He said if security votes are judiciously appropriated by those in authority, Nigeria will not have any issue of insecurity at the Federal, State and Local Government levels.

Olarewaju expressed dismay that the culprits have now moved to social intervention programmes, Anchors Borrowers Money for famers.

Our Correspondent reports that some of the papers presented during the event, revealed hour some governors and other government functionaries have been misappropriating the central bank of Nigeria CBN intervention funds meant for the small and medium scale entrepreneurs in various states of the federation