EFCC releases 20, charges 74 suspected internet fraudsters in Edo

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has released 20 of the 94 suspected internet fraudsters arrested in a hotel while the remaining 74 were charged to court. It would be that the Business and Hoteliers Stakeholders Forum (BHSF) had earlier accused the EFCC of storming various hotels and arresting 94 of their customers for […]

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has released 20 of the 94 suspected internet fraudsters arrested in a hotel while the remaining 74 were charged to court.

It would be that the Business and Hoteliers Stakeholders Forum (BHSF) had earlier accused the EFCC of storming various hotels and arresting 94 of their customers for alleged internet fraud.

The Chairman of the BHSF, Edo State chapter, Bishop Omogiade Edokpolo, disclosed this shortly after a closed-door meeting with the Edo State Command of the EFCC and hoteliers in the state.

“We met with the EFCC and asked them to release the 94 suspected internet fraudsters arrested. They told us that 20 of them have been released while 74 of them would be charged to court because of the evidence against them,” he said.

“The way and manner the EFCC invades our hotels sends fear into the minds of innocent customers and paints us in a bad light; we suffer losses running into several billions of naira,” he added.

Edokpolo, while commending the EFCC for releasing the 20 suspects, advised the commission to shun the plea bargain idea and take the suspects to court to avoid punishing innocent persons.

He debunked the claim that Edo and Delta states top the list of internet fraudsters in Nigeria, saying, “The narrative is wrong as it is meant to paint the states, especially Edo State, in a bad light.”

Responding, the EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewole, confirmed that 19 of the suspects have been released while 75 others would be charged to court.

“We are not saying that Edo and Delta State top internet fraud, but the rate of internet fraud is prevalent in those locations. We are not location-specific but fraud-specific,” he said.