Enugu State Governor Warns EFCC Against Arresting Youths with Laptops

By Okechukwu Onuegbu

Enugu State Governor, Mr. Peter Mbah, on Thursday, warned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to stop indiscriminate arrest of young people in possession of laptops, stressing that not all of them engage in cybercrime.

Mbah made the call during a-one day public lecture organised by the EFCC Southeast Zonal office at Enugu in commemoration of African Union Anti-corruption Day. The event which featured a public lecture themed understanding virtual asset and investment fraud, was attended by the NUJ representatives, traditional rulers, military and paramilitary officers, among other stakeholders from the Southeast geopolitical zone.

The governor, represented by his Deputy, Mr Ifeanyi Ossai, argued that the anti-graft agency should develop effective methods of investigating virtual crimes rather than resorting to arresting individuals merely for carrying laptops or expensive smartphones, or coercing them to unlock their devices to extract information for prosecution.

According to him, with the State government’s Smart Education initiative, laptops have become an integral part of learning, replacing notebooks and chalkboards in schools, even as it supports other numerous legitimate businesses in the digital space.

“It is wrong to arrest young people simply because they are carrying laptops and to force them to sign into their electronic gadgets before extracting information to prosecute them. Technology is changing everything. Laptops are replacing notebooks in our classrooms as we implement Smart Education. There are so many genuine business opportunities in virtual assets," he added.

Earlier speaking, the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Olanipekun Olukoyede, represented by the Southeast Zonal Acting Director, Enugu Zonal Directorate, Ms. Aisha Abubakar, emphasised the need for collaborative efforts among stakeholders to combat virtual crimes.

Olukoyede, who noted that the agency was not relenting on its duty, explained that they have developed strategies to detect and prosecute financial crimes and other related fraudulent acts on the cyber space.

“Investment fraud, including virtual assets fraud, is spreading like wildfire. Stolen funds and unexplained wealth are being warehoused in cryptocurrencies to evade the investigative dragnets of anti-corruption agencies. Politicians are already perfecting schemes to hide their loot in virtual assets. Our findings show that fraudsters continually devise new ways to pervert the genuine purposes of these technologies," he stated.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the Enugu State Traditional Rulers Council and traditional ruler of Edem-Ani autonomous community in Nsukka Local Government Area (LGA), Igwe Samuel Asadu, observed that increased sensitisation campaigns and expanded employment opportunities would help curb virtual crimes.

The keynote speaker and Bank Examiner, NDIC, Enugu Zonal Office, Mr Oyim Elechi, while describing virtual assets as monetary assets in blockchain, cryptocurrency and others, urged people to report fraudulent acts as well as refrain from investing into fraudulent and nonexistent online businesses .