NIGERIA: EFCC Investigates 24 Nigerians Arrested in Ghana Over Alleged Cybercrime

By Ameenat Hamzat, Lagos, Nigeria

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has commenced investigations into 24 Nigerian youths arrested in Ghana over alleged involvement in internet fraud.

Operatives of the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the EFCC, based in Ikoyi, Lagos, officially took custody of the suspects on Monday, April 28, 2025, following their repatriation from Ghana.

This was disclosed in a statement issued to the press by the commission on Monday via it’s social media platforms.

According to the statement, the suspects were initially apprehended on April 17, 2025, at Kumsark Estate in Oyarifa, a suburb of Accra, by Ghana’s Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO). They were later transferred to Nigeria’s National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) on April 25, 2025.

Speaking during the handover, Comfort Agboko, Zonal Commander of NAPTIP’s Lagos office, disclosed that the suspects were part of a group of 231 Nigerians returned from Ghana, comprising 24 suspected cybercriminals and 207 alleged victims.

Agboko said: “Preliminary investigations by NAPTIP revealed that these individuals were engaged in cyber-related crimes, including romance scams, phishing, and fraudulent online transactions, some of which are suspected to have ties to broader cybercrime networks.”

Agboko, who represented NAPTIP Director General, Binta L. Adamu Bello praised the ongoing collaboration between NAPTIP and the EFCC, noting that the partnership had previously led to significant results, including the 2022 conviction of four suspects for Advanced Fee Fraud.

She emphasized that the collaboration is vital in addressing the links between human trafficking, money laundering, and cybercrime.

Receiving the suspects, Ahmed Ghali, Acting Zonal Director of the EFCC’s Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, expressed appreciation to NAPTIP for its continued partnership.

Ghali also noted: “On behalf of the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, I hereby take over the 24 suspects alongside 276 laptops, 118 mobile phones, 12 National Identification Numbers (NINs), two voter cards, two driver’s licences, 10 ATM cards, and five COVID-19 vaccination cards.”

He assured that the EFCC would conduct a thorough investigation to determine the extent of the suspects’ involvement and uncover any wider networks linked to their activities.

“We will be diligent in our investigation, and justice will be served,” Ghali pledged.