The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has disclosed that suspected internet fraudsters, popularly known as Yahoo boys, stole ₦7.2 million from a judge’s bank account, prompting the judge to contact him at about 1 a.m. to report the incident.
Speaking on the matter, Olukoyede said he informed the judge that the theft occurred in a state where a court order had restrained the EFCC from investigating certain financial crimes. According to him, the judge insisted that her case should be treated as an exception.
He said the commission acted immediately and successfully recovered the entire ₦7.2 million before 6 p.m. the following day.
Olukoyede added that the experience had changed the judge’s perspective, noting that if an application seeking to restrain the EFCC from carrying out its statutory duties were to come before her in the future, she would likely reject it because she had personally experienced the impact of cybercrime.
