In a massive law enforcement operation, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has arrested 130 individuals over cybercrime accusations.
Prince Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the NPF public relations officer, announced the arrests on X on November 3.
The suspects include 113 foreign individuals, primarily of Chinese and Malaysian origin, and 17 Nigerian nationals.
They are accused of being involved in high-level cybercrimes, hacking and activities threatening national security.
Store Raided in Abuja
The operation was led by Benneth Igweh, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police for Zone 7 Headquarters in Abuja on November 3.
Under Igweh’s leadership, officers of the NPF Zone 7 Command Abuja and the National Cyber Crime Centre (NPF-NCCC) coordinated a raid on a building hosting a store in the Jahi neighborhood of Abuja, where the suspects were reportedly using computers and other sophisticated devices to facilitate criminal activities.
“We are investigating the matter and scientifically analyzing the exhibits recovered from them,” Adejobi added.
The suspects will be charged to court upon the conclusion of the NPF investigations.
POLICE BUSTS, ARRESTS 130 FOREIGN NATIONALS, NIGERIANS FOR CYBERCRIMES, HACKING
— Prince Olumuyiwa Adejobi (@Princemoye1) November 3, 2024
IGP Orders Thorough Investigation into Possible Security Threats, Networking
The Nigeria Police Force has arrested 130 suspects comprising 113 foreign nationals (87 males and 26 females), primarily… pic.twitter.com/XlnEAuSqhG
Cybercrime, A Scourge for Nigeria
This operation comes after a series of similar raids, investigative journalism organization Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project noted in a report following Adejobi’s post.
In June, 117 suspects were arrested by the NPF on computer fraud charges.
In September, the authorities of Delta State shut down a ‘yahoo school’ known as Hustle Kingdom, where over 100 young people were allegedly trained in cybercrime.
In Nigeria, people involved in cybercrime are colloquially known as ‘Yahoo Boys.’
The term was first used in the early 2000s to refer to financially motivated young Nigerians conducting phishing scams – an activity commonly called ‘yahoo yahoo’ or ‘419 fraud’ in Nigerian slang – using Yahoo.com email addresses.
The Nigerian Communications Commission estimates the country loses about $500m annually to cyber-related offenses.
A Global Threat Index published by cybersecurity provider Check Point earlier this year ranked Nigeria 19th out of 112 countries experiencing increased cyberattacks.