₦airaland Forum

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said its collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation has led to the arrest of a female suspect cyber fraudster in Edo State.

It said the female suspect (names withheld) worked in collaboration with foreign counterpart in dark web.

Head of Benin Zonal Office who spoke on behalf of Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, Muhtar Bello, said the female suspect was involved in obtaining and stealing people’s identification information which she forward to her American collaborators.

Bello said her American collaborators used the information to file for fraudulent tax return with the Internal Revenue Service.

He stated that the suspect received her CT through Bitcoin and about 185 Bitcoin currently worth N656m was traced to her.

The EFCC Zonal head said it independently arrested a cybercriminal and two siblings involved in Business Email Compromise (BEC).

Bello outlined their operandi as searching for victims’ email addresses especially official Business Email addresses; create a phishing link and compromising the process in order to defraud unsuspecting victims.

According to him, “The three suspects will have their date in court soon. We do not want to state the woman’s name so as not to compromise investigation.

“The Commission is resolute in exterminating cybercrime and bringing to book all those involved in this despicable activity.

“As part of our strategic plans to tackle this malaise, the Benin Zonal Office, from January to date, through intelligence raided the hideout of internet fraudsters in our jurisdiction-Edo, Delta and Ondo States.

“These raids led to the arrest of 113 internet fraudsters. While the prosecution of many of the cases is ongoing in court, we have so far secured 53 convictions in the period under review.”

Over 30 exotic cars, charms, laptops, mobile phones, flash drives, according to him, were recovered from the suspects.

AroOkigbo:
Where is HOME?

ON SEPTEMBER 1, 20191:24 PMIN NEWS,

By Chinonso Alozie, Owerri

The Imo state governor, Emeka Ihedioha, has concluded plans to move into the Spibat residence of former governor Rochas Okorocha, with those he called “citizens.”

This was the next plan of Ihedioha as revealed by the leader of recovery of government stolen properties, Jasper Ndubuaku, in continuation of recovery exercise, to Vanguard.

The reason given by Ndubuaku, was that since the police refused to follow him and that the police were there when he was attacked earlier.

Vanguard was told that Ihedioha and Okorocha’s camps are also preparing for the final game any time from now as the recovery operation lasts. It was said that they have positioned themselves waiting for each other at any slightest provocation.

On the plan to storm Okorocha’s residence by Ndubuaku’s recovery team, he said: “We have four speed boat donated by NDDC, he took them to his house he doesn’t want to bring them. We use them for crossing at Oguta. In Owerri today, if you have a death street lights you can’t change them because the only vehicle that has that capacity has been there since Achike Udenwa, Okorocha, took it and he has not released it.

“We have more than sixty vehicles packed in his house and these are the vehicles for government functionaries. All the protocol vehicles are still in his house, all the bullet proof cars are still in his house.

“What I have decided to do is from now on I will go with citizens and every move I make I will mobilize citizens to go with me since the police have refused to work or act in this thing I will now go with the citizens. They were there when I was attacked what did they do.”

He recalled how he was allegedly attacked, “I came to Okorocha’s house to submit a court order and they say I came with thugs and some men he kept in his house jumped up and attacked me just like that. I was alone.”

It will be recalled that the state, has been under tension following clashes between the supporters of Okorocha and Ihedioha, as a result of the activities of the state government to recover government owned properties said to be in possession of the Okorochas’.

The genesis of the skirmishes could be traced to the time the recovery team in one of it’s operation in a shop said to be owned by Okorocha’s wife, Nkechi, located along Aba road, at that incident, Okorocha’s daughter was allegedly slapped by one of the members of the recovery team.

Days after, the leader of the recovery team, Ndubuaku, was attacked by suspected supporters of Okorocha, when he (Ndubuaku) went to submit a court order to Okorocha’s Spibat home.

However, this is coming at a time, Ihedioha, through his Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Uche Onyegucha, had ordered that Okorocha should be arrested anywhere if he is seen in the state.

by Kelvin Osa- Okunbor

August 30, 2019

Minister of Interior Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has directed officials of Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS ) to exploit every capacity within the service to ensure issuance of international passports to genuine and qualified applicants within 48 hours.

The Minister said with deployment of state- of- the- art technology, the 48 hours timeline for acquiring an international passport was achievable if officials of the NIS eliminates human contacts and deal with racketeering, which has built an “unusual economy “, around the passport issuance process.

He said the directive has become imperative because of the pains and agonizing experience many Nigerians are subjected to in their bid to procure the important travel document.

The Minister also directed the NIS to be on top of its game by putting in place a strict implementation process of the Border Management Strategy in order to ensure border safety and security.

The Minister disclosed this on Friday in Lagos while flagging off the NIS Management retreat.

Aregbesola urged the NIS to eliminate bottlenecks associated with procurement of international passport by adopting cutting edge technology that will reduce human interface.

He said NIS as the face of the nation at border entry and exit points must train its personnel on how to treat Nigerians and others with dignity.

Aregbesola said the service must place high premium on the provision of infrastructure and human capacity as motivation for efficient services.

Aregbesola said huge infrastructure is useless without the human elements, urging the NIS to invest more in the training of its personnel by scaling up infrastructure of the mind to achieve efficiency in service delivery.

He challenged the NIS to scale up its facilitation at the airport to reduce long queues for arriving passengers.

The Minister said Nigerians deserve a better deal NIS urging its management to think out of the box on how to implement the three point agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari bordering on security , economy and transparency.

He enjoined the NIS to play a leading role in ensuring that the borders of Nigeria are safe and secured to guarantee buoyant economy and a transparent service delivery.

Doing such, he said will make Nigeria preferred destination for investors and visitors without comprising national security.

Aregbesola said: “From information available to me, it is possible with the right technology in place for Nigeria Immigration Service to issue international passports to applicants who have paid the official fees after forty eight hours. If there is any delay, the officials should communicate to the affected applicants .

“One of the ways to achieve this is to deploy the right technology and eliminate human contact in the passport issuance process. This way, we eliminate sharp practices and racketerring built around the process. This is the way to go and all officials should shun all forms of corruption in the discharge of their duties.

“The primary role of the Immigration Service is the Security of the border and migration management. No unwanted , suspicious and criminal person must be allowed entry into our nation just as we are to prevent the exit from Nigeria of all known domestic real felons and or domestic potential felons from leaving Nigeria to tarnish our image abroad .

“All officers of the Service must as a matter of urgency, embrace the digital tradition and be technology/computer compliant, particularly at the senior and management level. Our officers must shun all forms of corruption through openness and transparency in the discharge of their duties.

“Should there be justifiable delay in delivering on this commitment, there must be a mechanism to communicate, such reasons (s) within a period as agreed in the retreat to such applicant for the passport which must not be later than 72 hours, after discovering such reason.”
The Minister emphasised that with technology, Nigeria Immigration Service must eliminate the tradition of endless wait for obtaining the Nigerian Passport by Nigerians desirous of having one.

“With technology, it is possible to process and obtain the passport within 48 hours, if the application does not have any issues. Nigerian passport should be available within 48 hours maximum after application and at the official fee, the same goes for entry visa, resident permit, seamen license, as well as application and processing of other services.”

Comptroller General of Immigration, Muhammad Babandede said the three day retreat was put together to serve as a platform for drawing strategic road map 2019 -2023 to drive the NIS in achieving set goals.

The retreat he said will also provide a platform to review the process and documentation at its various service windows.
Babandede while condemning sharp practices associated with the process of acquiring international passport urged the minister to assist the service in tackling the problem of booklet scarcity.

He said : “I must admit to the Minister that many eligible Passport applicants are currently not having any appreciable satisfaction in interfacing with our Passport window while applying. The process of acquiring our Passports still remains not only very confusing and frustrating but also very fraudulent.

“Many of our Personnel have continued to institutionalize sharp practices on our Passport processing window as many applicants now procure the document on the basis of how much they can afford to pay as bribes and not how much diligence they observe in following up the Passport procedures we have stated on our website. I believe strongly that whatever we do here nothing much will change except the Minister of Interior assist the Service in tackling the problem of booklet scarcity.

“We must continue to evaluate our operational and personal conducts in line with government’s set agenda of improving security, economic development and transparency.

“Whether we are working in the Passport offices, Control Posts and/or any Unit for that matter, if our conducts and actions do not promote national security, economic development and transparency in government affairs, we have not only missed the point but also diminished our relevance in the national development efforts.”

August 30, 2019

Chidiebube Okeoma, Owerri

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission from its South East Zonal office in Enugu State on Friday morning stormed Owerri, the Imo state capital arresting a number of cybercrime suspects.

This is coming less than six days the anti-graft agents swooped on boys suspected to be into cybercrime at their abode at the Spibat area of Owerri.

A source who did not want his name mentioned told our correspondent that the EFCC operatives who arrived Owerri on Thursday stormed Aladinma extension area of Owerri on the early hours of Friday and arrested the suspects popularly known as ‘Yahoo Yahoo boys.

The source who said that the EFCC operatives struck while their targets were still asleep enthused that apart from picking the suspects, cars, expensive mobile phones and laptops were recovered by the anti-graft agents.

He said that the area was known to be where cybercrime suspects lived.

According to him, no fewer than 20 suspects were arrested by the EFCC operatives while others jumped out of the windows of their rooms.

He said, “EFCC operatives on Friday morning stormed Aladinma extension area of Owerri and arrested Yahoo Yahoo boys. They were more than 20 they picked up. They also recovered cars, phones, and laptops from their targets. ”

“Others who were smart jumped out of the windows and fled. It was a funny scenario this morning. This is the second time these people are storming Owerri in less than one week to arrest Yahoo boys.”

Police sources who confirmed the development to our correspondent said that the EFCC operatives arrived in the state on Thursday.

They disclosed that the EFCC operatives reported their arrival in the state at the police command headquarters in Owerri before proceeding to carry out their operation.