Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has lamented youth involvement in internet fraud, including money laundering and economic sabotage, saying that such acts undermine national growth and deprive citizens of infrastructure, jobs, and opportunities.

He emphasised that the crimes were already damaging Nigeria’s international image and subjecting innocent Nigerians to stricter visa restrictions abroad.

The EFCC chairman stated this through the Head, Advance Fee Fraud Section, Port Harcourt Zonal Directorate of the EFCC, Chief Superintendent of the EFCC, Coker Oyegunle, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, at an event organised by the Coalition of Nigerian Youths on Security and Safety Affairs (CONYSSA).

While warning that fraud might appear to offer “easy money,” he noted that it would ultimately lead to shame, imprisonment, and lost opportunities.

Speaking on the theme, ‘Uniting South-South Youths in the Fight Against  Cultism, Pipeline Vandalism, Internet Fraud, Money Laundering, Drug Abuse, Human Trafficking and Economic Sabotage,’ the EFCC’s boss urged the youth to channel their talents into productive ventures such as digital innovation, entrepreneurship, agriculture, and creative industries, all of which offer sustainable opportunities without the risks of crime.

In his remarks, the representative of the chairman, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Assistant Commander General, Narcotics, Mathew Ewah, warned that drug abuse remained one of the most dangerous threats to Nigerian youths.

The Assistant Superintendent of Corps, Kabiru Zakari, who represented the Commander General, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), who spoke on ‘Uniting the Youths in South-South against Pipeline Vandalism’, warned of the dangers of pipeline vandalism and its devastating effects on communities.