Operatives of the Sokoto Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have apprehended 13 individuals suspected of engaging in internet fraud in Sokoto State.
The arrests took place on Saturday in the Gidan Yaro and Dandima areas of Sokoto following intelligence reports on their involvement in cybercrime, according to an official EFCC statement shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday.
The suspects, all of whom claimed to be students of Usman Danfodio University Sokoto (UDUS), are currently under investigation and will face court proceedings once the investigations are concluded.
This development follows a recent late-night raid by the EFCC on private hostels associated with Usmanu Danfodiyo University.
News About Nigeria reported that several students were arrested during the operation, which took place around 4 a.m. in the Kwakwalawa and Gidan Yaro areas of Sokoto on Saturday.
Witnesses say EFCC operatives conducted the raid on multiple hostels, arresting students indiscriminately.
Recall that the EFCC boss Ola Olukoyede ordered that sting operations at night be stopped in all the commission’s commands shortly after the arrest of 69 suspected internet fraudsters in Ile-Ife, Osun State, by operatives of the Ibadan zonal command of the EFCC in October 2023.
“The chairman gave the directive in Abuja on Wednesday, November 1, 2023, in reaction to the arrest of 69 suspected internet fraudsters in Ile-Ife, Osun State, by operatives of the Ibadan zonal command of the commission.
“Already, many of the suspects duly profiled by the command have been released, while profiling of suspects yet unreleased will be completed, without further delay.
“The commission wishes to assure the public that it will not relent in its adherence to the rule of law, in the exercise of its mandate,” he said.
