A quiet area near Bayero University Kano (BUK) turned into the centre of a major anti-cybercrime operation this week, as operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested 25 students suspected of engaging in online fraud.
The early morning sting took place directly opposite BUK’s New Site campus in Kano, following weeks of surveillance and intelligence gathering. All those arrested are confirmed to be undergraduate students of the institution, according to a statement released by the EFCC on its official X (formerly Twitter) account on Wednesday.
EFCC operatives recovered a number of items believed to have been used in the suspected cybercrime activities. Among them were laptops, smartphones, internet routers, and a Honda Accord vehicle.
The students were identified by the commission as: Ismaíl Nura, Suuleyman Ayeh, Usman Abdulrazaq, Emmanuel Chigozie, Akabe Seth, Daniel Imoter, Abdulganiyu Jimoh, Jafar Abubakar, Usman Nuraddeen, Mohammad Adnan, Abubakar Abusufyan, Abdulmalik Ibrahim, Abubakar Sadiq, Daniel Masamu, Abdulrasheed Abdulsamad, Issac Dosunu, Nuraddeen Ogunbiyi, Onyeyemi Kaleem, Miracle Joseph, Danjuma Musa, Ibrahim Mubaraq, Yusuf Salihu, Lawal Ibrahim Edebo, Abdulmajeed Suleiman, and Dauda Abdulhamid.
Investigators believe the suspects were involved in a range of digital financial crimes, including identity theft and advance-fee fraud. According to the EFCC, the arrests were the result of “credible intelligence” pointing to coordinated online scams allegedly being carried out by the students.
“The suspects had been under watch for some time, and their activities were consistent with patterns commonly associated with internet fraud,” a source familiar with the investigation told this reporter.
The EFCC confirmed that the suspects are currently undergoing further interrogation, and will face prosecution once investigations are concluded.
This latest operation is part of a broader crackdown on cybercrime, particularly among university students, as Nigeria’s anti-graft agency intensifies efforts to combat internet-related financial offences across the country.