During a discussion with editors at the EFCC Headquarters in Jabi, Abuja last Tuesday, the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, recounted a startling incident involving a 17-year-old who successfully hacked into his personal computer and bank account while being interrogated at his office in Lagos.
Olukoyede narrated the incident, stating, “I brought into my Lagos office a seventeen-year-old boy who is studying History and Anthropology. He is in the 200 level. He is not doing anything science-related. The guy sat in my office in Lagos and demonstrated some things to me on my laptop. He asked for my number, I gave him my number and through my number, he got my BVN. He then mentioned the name of my account number to me at the bank. I didn’t tell him anything.”
Expressing concern about the implications of such actions, Olukoyede emphasized the need for measures to deter young individuals from engaging in cybercrimes, acknowledging both the criminality and opportunities inherent in such activities. He stressed the importance of intervention to redirect their paths.
Regarding punishment for cybercrimes committed by youths, Olukoyede stated, “We plead for light sentences so that we can reorientate them and that’s part of what we’re doing. What joy will I derive from sending a 17-year-old boy to jail? You have destroyed his future. You have destroyed his career. Sometimes they give them options of fines and all of that conviction, so we bring them in, lecture them and talk to them.”
The incident also shed light on the boy’s family situation, with Olukoyede revealing, “He has two younger ones. One is in JSS2 and the other is in SSS2. He is the one feeding his parents and responsible for the payment of tuition for his younger ones.”
In response, Olukoyede pledged to take responsibility for the boy’s schooling if he ceased his criminal activities. He also sought assistance for the boy’s siblings’ education.
This disclosure aligns with previous statements by Olukoyede about the EFCC’s approach to rehabilitating convicted internet fraudsters with reduced sentences, aiming to prevent youths from engaging in cybercrime and avoiding the stigma of being labeled “ex-convicts.”
