How Yahoo boys stole Judge’s N7.5m for child’s school fee – EFCC chairman

Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has warned Nigerians against downplaying the activities of internet fraudsters, saying the damage caused by Yahoo boys extends far beyond financial losses.

Speaking at the public presentation of two books authored by retired High Court judge Justice Alaba Omolaye-Ajileye, Olukoyede narrated how a serving judge lost ₦7.2 million to fraudsters in a single night.

How Yahoo Boys stole Judge’s N7.5m for Child’s school fee – EFCC chairman

According to him, the money had been saved over six years to fund the judge’s child’s education in the United Kingdom.

He explained that the victim contacted him in distress around 1 a.m. after being awakened by multiple debit alerts. The EFCC immediately launched an investigation and successfully recovered the stolen money by the following day.

He said: “Sometimes last year, I had a distress call at about 1 a.m. from one of the states in the South-South from a judge. She had just been scammed of the money she had been putting together for six years to send her child to school in the UK.

“She received debit notes… before she knew it, she had been scammed of about ₦7.2 million.

“We rose up to the task… and the following day, we recovered the entire money for her.

“I’m very sure if an application had come before that my Lord to stop the EFCC from carrying out its mandate, she wouldn’t refuse it because she has become a victim. So it’s important for us to understand the depth of these problems.”