President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed Nigerian security and law enforcement agencies to intensify efforts against cybercrime and transnational car theft. In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President emphasized that Nigeria will not serve as a refuge for illicit wealth from abroad.
He commended the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for handing over 53 vehicles and $180,300 to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) for return to Canadian victims of cybercrime perpetrated by Nigerians.
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Notable Cases of Nigerians Serving Jail Time in the U.S. for Cybercrime:
- Invictus Obi
Obinwanne Okeke, known as Invictus Obi, received a ten-year sentence on February 16, 2021, for orchestrating an $11 million cyber fraud against a British company. He was arrested in August 2019 and pleaded guilty to charges related to computer and wire fraud. - Hushpuppi
Rahman Abbas, a well-known Instagram personality, was sentenced to 11 years for money laundering linked to business email compromise scams. He was ordered to pay $1,732,841 in restitution for defrauding a U.S. law firm and attempting to steal significant sums from an English Premier League club. - Abidemi Rufai
A suspended aide to Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, Rufai was sentenced to five years for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. He attempted to defraud the U.S. government of nearly $2.4 million, including $500,000 in pandemic-related unemployment benefits. - Samuel and Samson Ogoshi
The Ogoshi brothers, aged 24 and 21, were sentenced to 17 years and six months for their involvement in a sextortion scheme that led to the tragic suicide of 17-year-old Jordan DeMay. They lured the victim into sending explicit images and threatened to share them, ultimately leading to DeMay's suicide.
These cases underscore the ongoing issues of cybercrime linked to Nigeria, prompting heightened vigilance and enforcement from both Nigerian authorities and international partners.
