The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has disclosed that the agency intends to rehabilitate convicted internet fraudsters with reduced sentences as part of efforts to reintegrate them into society, News About Nigeria reports.
Olukoyede made this revelation during a courtesy visit by a delegation of the National Association of University Students (NAUS) led by its President, Obadi Marshal, in Abuja on Thursday.
In a statement released by the commission on Friday, Olukoyede said that rehabilitation serves as a means of reorienting the minds of convicts and channeling their energies toward positive endeavours.
“We have a plan to rehabilitate convicted internet fraudsters with lesser sentences. The plan is to work with the correctional centre to make them useful and more productive in society,” Olukoyede said.
The EFCC boss also issued a stern warning to youths about the severe consequences of engaging in cybercrime.
He noted that being labelled an ‘ex-convict’ carries lasting repercussions that can hinder future opportunities.
“When you think deeply, the tag ‘ex-convict’ is not a good thing. You can never tell where you will find yourself tomorrow, and they will want to profile you and discover that you are an ex-convict. So, it is even in the interest of the youth that the EFCC is doing what it is doing to prevent them from indulging in the heinous act of cybercrime,” Olukoyede said.
In his remarks, NAUS President Obadi Marshal called for collaboration with the EFCC to combat cybercrimes prevalent across Nigerian university campuses.
“The aim of our visit today is to see how we can synergize and partner with the EFCC in eradicating cybercrime in all the higher institutions of learning in the country. NAUS has never been part of it and will never support it, that is why we are at the EFCC to see how we can collaborate to end it. The onus is on us all to save our youths from taking part in it and to save our country,” Marshal said.
