The innocent majority: Why the EFCC needs reforms
Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has dramatically intensified cybercrime operations, conducting mass arrests across major cities including Ogun State. Empowered by the 2015 Cybercrime Act, the commission makes hundreds of arrests monthly fighting Nigeria’s reputation as a global internet fraud hub. Recent operations in Ogun State exemplify this aggressive approach. Just recently, August […]
Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has dramatically intensified cybercrime operations, conducting mass arrests across major cities including Ogun State. Empowered by the 2015 Cybercrime Act, the commission makes hundreds of arrests monthly fighting Nigeria’s reputation as a global internet fraud hub. Recent operations in Ogun State exemplify this aggressive approach. Just recently, August 10, 2025, EFCC operatives arrested 93 suspected internet fraudsters in Abeokuta, and just days earlier, 55 suspects were arrested at an Hotel in Itori, Ewekoro.
Yet the EFCC’s quarrelsome approach is also generating concerns about mode of arrests. Reports suggest random and unsolicited operations against young Nigerians based on lifestyle indicators like flashy cars, designer items, social media posts rather than concrete evidence. These risks drag in legitimate tech startups, online marketers, and cryptocurrency traders whose success online appears suspicious to investigators.
More troubling are reports of lengthy detention without evidence, coercive measures, and investigations that prioritize asset forfeiture over exhaustive evidence gathering. As Nigeria fights cybercrime while cultivating digital growth, the task is how to protect the innocent majority legally involved in the digital economy.
EFCC operations are increasingly demographically profiled, with young Nigerian men being targeted on the basis of superficial indicators rather than evidence. This pattern is particularly high in Ogun State. The raid of August 10, 2025, at a popular hotel in the heart of the state Capital in Abeokuta shows how location and lifestyle become signifiers of criminality. Young men who stay in upscale hotels or gather in high-profile spaces get swept up in mass arrests regardless of individual evidence.
Profiling involves lifestyle clues interpreted as indications of ill-gotten wealth like foreign cars, designer electronics, international travel, regardless of legitimate income sources. In Ogun State, home to premier universities like Covenant University, Babcock University, and Tai Solarin University of Education, successful students and recent graduates of technology courses have become particularly vulnerable. The proximity of the state to Lagos and its developing tech ecosystem imply that numerous youths earn significant amounts of money legally from software development, digital marketing, and cryptocurrency and forex trading, but these same successes make them EFCC targets.
Consequences are catastrophic for Ogun State residents. The operations in August alone trapped nearly 150 individuals, quite a number of whom may be innocent victims of profiling. Students of the state’s numerous tertiary institutions like Federal Polytechnic Ilaro and Moshood Abiola Polytechnic talk of fear of displaying indicators of business or entrepreneurial success. Systematic disregard for due process characterizes EFCC operations in Ogun State in recent times.
They invaded Obasanjo Presidential Library, which hosted a legitimate pool party, is a case study of arbitrary operations without valid warrants. The management of the facility publicly disputed EFCC’s characterization of the operation, highlighting how reputable institutions are collateral damage in broad-sweep arrests. Detainees report weeks-long detention without formal charges, legal representation access, or clear allegations explanation. Coercive tactics include pressure to admit guilt for release, detention threats, and password demands without judicial oversight. Asset seizures occur immediately upon arrest, leaving suspects unable to afford legal representation.
A balanced approach would develop genuine investigative capabilities, address economic and educational root causes, and build international cooperation based on the rule of law. Only by not infringing on the rights of innocent citizens while effectively extending the reach to actual criminals can Nigeria achieve twin goals of cybercrime fighting and digital advancement.
The innocent majority of Nigerian youth deserve to be protected from both the cybercriminals tarnishing their country’s reputation and law enforcers welcoming their success with distrust. Nigeria’s future depends on ensuring that the cybercrime fight strengthens and does not undermine justice and economic opportunity foundations underpinning the country’s digital future.
Jesudunsi Fola-Alao is Youth Corper serving in the Ogun State Ministry of Information.