EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede has revealed that suspected internet fraudsters, commonly known as Yahoo Boys, drained over N7.2 million from a serving judge's bank account in the early hours of the morning. The stolen funds represented six years of savings the judge had set aside to pay for her child's education abroad. Remarkably, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) recovered the entire sum before 6 p.m. on the same day.
Judge's Ordeal and Swift Response
Olukoyede disclosed the incident while speaking at the public presentation of two books authored by retired High Court judge Justice Alaba Omolaye-Ajileye, as reported by Vanguard on Friday. The anti-graft agency boss said the judge telephoned him around 1 a.m. after being jolted awake by a series of debit alerts on her phone. "She had just been scammed of the money she had been putting together for six years to send her child to school. She said it was alerts that woke her up. She received debits at that time of the day. Before she knew it, she had been scammed of about N7.2 million," Olukoyede said.
Ironic Legal Hurdles
The EFCC chairman added an ironic twist to the account, noting that the incident took place in a state where a court had previously issued an order barring the commission from investigating certain financial crimes. "Incidentally, it was the state where they got an order against the EFCC from investigating certain crimes. She said, 'My lord, I have an order, an injunction not to investigate financial crimes in that state.' She said, 'No, no, no! This is an exception. You must do something immediately!'" he recounted. Despite the legal restrictions, the commission moved swiftly. "Before 6 p.m., we recovered the entire money for her. I am very sure that if an application comes before her to stop the EFCC from carrying out its mandate, she will dismiss it because she has become a victim," Olukoyede said.
Call for Collective Action Against Cybercrime
Beyond the account of the judge's ordeal, Olukoyede used the occasion to argue that combating cybercrime requires a unified response from law enforcement, the judiciary, and ordinary citizens. "Not until we, as Nigerians, come together and agree to face this challenge, law enforcement agencies playing their role, citizens doing their part, and the judiciary too doing its part, it is only then that we will be able to put this problem behind us. We can do it. Nigeria can do it, and we will do it and succeed," he stated.
AI in Criminal Investigations
The chairman also flagged the growing use of artificial intelligence in criminal investigations and called on lawmakers and legal scholars to develop legislation that would make AI-generated evidence admissible in court. Also at the event, former Attorney-General of the Federation Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN) urged the EFCC and other anti-corruption bodies to redouble efforts to trace and repatriate public funds alleged to have been looted and concealed overseas.
Recoveries in NNPC Probe
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the EFCC has recovered over N9.4 billion, $21.2 million, and several landed properties in the ongoing probe of the alleged diversion of money released for the maintenance and rehabilitation of Nigeria's refineries under the watch of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL). According to the official market rate by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) of N1,380/$1 posted on Friday, June 26, the $21.2 million recovered amounts to N29.26 billion, bringing the total recovered so far to N38.66 billion.
