Nearly 800 suspects were arrested in a landmark raid targeting an international cybercrime syndicate operating from a luxury building in Lagos, with evidence suggesting foreign operatives are using Nigeria as a base for sophisticated investment fraud schemes.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) apprehended 792 suspects on December 10 at the seven-story Big Leaf Building in Victoria Island, Lagos, including 148 Chinese nationals, 40 Filipinos, one Pakistani, and one Indonesian, EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede announced at a press briefing.
“Foreigners are taking advantage of our nation’s unfortunate reputation as a haven of frauds to establish a foothold here to disguise their atrocious criminal enterprises,” Olukoyede said through EFCC spokesperson Wilson Uwujaren.
Investigators found the building’s fifth floor contained 500 SIM cards intended for criminal use. According to the EFCC, Nigerian accomplices were recruited based on “proficiency in the use of computers, especially typing skill” and underwent two weeks of training to impersonate foreign females in romance scams.
The scheme involved using WhatsApp accounts linked to German and Italian phone numbers to engage victims before directing them to a fraudulent investment platform. “Once the Nigerians are able to win the confidence of would-be victims, the foreigners would take over the actual task of defrauding the victims,” Uwujaren said.
The Nigerian participants “do not know the owners of the ‘company’ they work for because they are not offered letters of appointments or receive payment from a corporate account,” according to the EFCC chairman.
Items seized during the raid included computers, mobile phones, laptops, and vehicles. The EFCC is now working with international partners to investigate potential connections to organized crime networks.
Acting Lagos Zonal Director Michael Wetkas called for increased media collaboration in fighting financial crimes. The suspects will face charges following the completion of investigations.
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