HOW WE RECOVERED OVER $169,850 FROM YAHOO-BOYS THROUGH EFCC-FBI COLLABORATION – MAGU REVEALS

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Joseph Omoniyi

The acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu has revealed that the collaboration between the anti-graft agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI led to the recovery of $169,850 and N92, 000,000.00 from cybercriminals.

Magu who made this disclosure during a joint media briefing in Lagos on Tuesday, said the “Operation Rewired” led to the arrest of 167 Nigerians for allegedly perpetrating computer-related frauds.

Speaking through Mohammed Umar Abba, Director of Operations, EFCC, Magu said: “Being an international model operation targeted at the varied forms of computer-related frauds, the EFCC/FBI collaborative operations spanning three weeks was designed to intercept and interrupt the global network of the internet fraudsters.

“However, before now, as you are all aware, we had relentlessly launched intensive investigative actions against the infamous Yahoo yahoo boys culminating into various strategic raids, onslaught on criminals’ hideouts, prosecutions and convictions.

“I am happy to inform you that our efforts in coordinating the EFCC/FBI joint operations in Nigeria recorded tremendous successes leading to a number of arrests, seizures and recoveries.  The suspected fraudsters arrested in the course of this operation will be persecuted accordingly.

“It is instructive to note that, from August 12, 2019 to date, the Operation Rewired coordinated by the EFCC in Nigeria as an impetus to our sustained operations on perpetrators of various computer-related frauds have resulted in the arrest 167 Nigerians for alleged computer-related frauds.”

The EFCC Chair further called on the media to continue to lend its voice to the fight against corruption and economic and financial crimes,  adding that “the EFCC will continue to partner with the FBI and other international law enforcement agencies, especially in the area of exchange of information and actionable intelligence towards bringing to the barest minimum the menace of cybercrimes and other computer-based frauds in the country.”

It was also disclosed that he FBI-led operation involved multiple U.S. law enforcement partners, including the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), U.S. Secret Service (USSS), U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), US Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

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