The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre said on Friday in Abuja that Nigeria was disproportionately linked to global internet fraud syndicates.
The Executive Director of CISLAC, Auwal Rafsanjani, stated this in a press release, commending the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for the arrest of 792 suspects involved in cryptocurrency investment and romance scam networks.
Rafsanjani said it was noteworthy that most of those arrested were foreign nationals.
He, therefore, urged the governments to increase investment in youth-focused initiatives, digital safeguards, and cyber-literacy programmes to reduce vulnerability to online fraud and recruitment by criminal networks.
The EFCC had listed the suspects to include 148 Chinese, 40 Filipinos, two citizens of Kazakhstan, one Pakistani, and one Indonesian.
Rafsanjani said the operation, carried out on December 10, at a 7 -story building in Victoria Island, Lagos, was a major breakthrough in the fight against cybercrime in Nigeria.
“It also challenges the prevailing global narrative that disproportionately links Nigerians to internet fraud.
“The syndicate is believed to have recruited and trained young Nigerians to serve as local operatives, using their identities to mask the activities of the foreign masterminds behind the operations.
“The arrest underscores the commission’s dedication to tackling cybercrime and proves that these crimes are often orchestrated by international actors who exploit vulnerable Nigerians for their schemes,” he said.
Rafsanjani further said the operation debunked the harmful stereotype that Nigerians are the main perpetrators of cybercrimes.
“What we see is a transnational criminal hierarchy where foreign masterminds manipulate and discard Nigerian youth after using them to front illegal operations,” he said.
He also argued that such narratives had long damaged Nigeria’s international reputation and obscured the role of foreign actors who operated behind the scenes.
“These syndicates prey on unemployed or desperate young people by offering fake job opportunities and financial incentives, only to expose them to criminal risk while remaining in the shadows,” he said.
He urged the EFCC to carry out a thorough and transparent investigation to ensure that all parties, regardless of nationality, involved in the crime were held accountable.
Rafsanjani emphasised that the fight against cybercrime could not be won in isolation.
“Sustainable progress in combating cybercrime requires strong institutional collaboration among key agencies such as the EFCC, the Nigeria Immigration Service, and the Nigeria Customs Service.
“Many foreign criminals exploit weaknesses in immigration control to enter and operate in the country illegally.
“Enhanced immigration screening and proactive enforcement would prevent many of these actors from embedding themselves within local communities,” he said.
NAN
