The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, has said the activities of internet fraudsters, popularly known as Yahoo Boys, are tarnishing Nigeria’s reputation on the international stage.
In a video shared via the EFCC’s official X handle on Monday, Olukoyede said the actions of these young fraudsters had become a national embarrassment, significantly contributing to the country’s negative image abroad.
“Let me use this opportunity to address the issue of Yahoo Yahoo boys that has become a major issue in Nigeria,” he said.
“People often accuse the EFCC of not going after people who are stealing mega money; we run after Yahoo boys. I want Nigerians to know that we are having a crisis on our hands.”
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He said that young people engaging in such crimes were harming the country’s global standing and making international travel increasingly difficult for law-abiding Nigerians holding the green passport.
“Today, if you travel abroad with your green passport, you stand in the queue among so many people, you will discover that by the time you present your green passport, the people will look at you with some reservation,” Olukoyede explained.
“That is if they don’t take you outside to carry out special scrutiny on you. That is the national shame some young Nigerians have caused for us.”
He added that his engagements with international counterparts were often coloured by the reputation Nigeria has developed due to cybercrime and fraudulent online behaviour by some youths.
“I go out to interact with counterparts abroad, to interact with government agencies in the course of recovering money and assets; these are things very difficult for us to defend. They see it on social media,” he said.
“I want to tell Nigerians this ‘Yahoo Yahoo’ is a crisis. You men don’t believe in hard work anymore.”
Olukoyede has repeatedly pointed to Yahoo Boys as central to Nigeria’s reputation problems abroad, though some have noted that political corruption by senior officials has also been a significant contributor.
Olukoyede called for a national rethink on values and a return to hard work and honesty, urging Nigerians to distance themselves from the fraudulent lifestyle glamorised on social media.
