The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has launched a formal investigation into 24 Nigerian youths recently arrested in Ghana over allegations of internet fraud.
The suspects, apprehended on April 17, 2025, by Ghana’s Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) at Kumsark Estate, Oyarifa, a suburb of Accra, were subsequently repatriated and handed over to Nigeria’s National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) on April 25, 2025.
Speaking during the official handover of the suspects to the EFCC’s Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 on Monday, Comfort Agboko, Zonal Commander of NAPTIP Lagos, stated that preliminary investigations indicated the individuals were allegedly involved in cyber-related crimes, including romance scams, phishing, and fraudulent online transactions.
“On Friday, April 25, 2025, the agency received a total of 231 Nigerians from EOCO, comprising 24 suspects and 207 victims,” Agboko said.
She explained that initial findings revealed the suspects were engaged in various forms of cybercrime, some believed to be connected to wider international networks. Speaking on behalf of NAPTIP’s Director General, Binta L. Adamu Bello, Agboko stressed the importance of the collaboration between NAPTIP and the EFCC in tackling the intersections of human trafficking, money laundering, and cybercrime.
She recalled that a similar partnership in 2022 led to the successful conviction of four individuals for advanced fee fraud, adding, “The current handover is a continuation of this synergy, with NAPTIP leveraging EFCC’s expertise in financial crime investigations to ensure thorough prosecution of the suspects.”
Receiving the suspects and accompanying evidence, Ahmed Ghali, Acting Zonal Director of EFCC’s Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, thanked NAPTIP for its continued support and cooperation.
“On behalf of the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, I hereby take over the 24 suspects along with 276 laptops, 118 mobile phones, 12 National Identification Numbers (NIN), two voter cards, two driver’s licenses, 10 ATM cards, and five COVID-19 vaccination cards,” Ghali announced.
He assured that the Commission would carry out a comprehensive investigation into the case, pledging, “We will be diligent in our investigation. I assure you that justice will be done, and the perpetrators will be brought to book.”
