Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, has attributed the worrying cases of Nigerian youths defrauding U.S citizens and other countries’ nationals to “rising unemployment” and societal pressures.

In a statement by the anti-graft agency on Thursday, Mr Olukoyede, represented by Assistant Superintendent of the EFCC ASE I Ogunjobi Olalekan, stated this at an event in Abuja organised by the “Child Protection Initiative against Cybercrime.”


“Hard work and integrity should define your future, not the fleeting gains of fraud,” Mr Olukoyede said, urging youths to resist the temptations of internet fraud and the attendant “get-rich-quick” mentality.

The anti-graft czar identified cybercrime enablers among Nigerian youths to include unemployment, internal and external pressures to acquire material possessions and overly supportive parents and guardians.


The latter inadvertently fostered a lack of self-control and discipline in children, adding that the toxic mix of societal and familial influences could lead vulnerable youths down a dangerous path of cybercrime, including online scams, identity theft, and other malicious activities.