Nigeria Student Cybercrime Alarm

Olanipekun Olukoyede, Chairman of the Nigeria — Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, revealed that approximately six out of ten Nigerian university students are involved in cybercrime, including 'Yahoo-Yahoo' and 'Yahoo Plus' (internet fraud combined with fetish practices). This disclosure was made at the 8th Biennial Conference of the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities in Nigeria — Kano State. Olanipekun Olukoyede highlighted that many suspects arrested in recent operations, including a major one in Nigeria — Lagos involving 792 individuals, were undergraduates. He emphasized that this trend reflects weak institutional oversight and administrative vulnerabilities within universities, posing a threat to national security. Olanipekun Olukoyede advocated for strengthening internal controls, collaborating with law enforcement, and deploying artificial intelligence in university governance for fraud detection and financial accountability. The National Association of Nigerian Students, through its PRO Samson Ajasa, criticized Olanipekun Olukoyede's generalization, demanding a retraction and expressing concern about the negative impact on Nigerian students.