The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says it has arrested 30 suspected internet fraudsters in Agbede community, Ilorin, including six students of Kwara state polytechnic.
In a statement on Wednesday, the polytechnic management had said some students staged a protest on campus following an early morning raid by security operatives in Agbede, a nearby community.
Early this morning, a small number of students expressed their displeasure by burning tyres along a section of the Old Jebba Road,” the statement reads.
The incident stemmed from reports of security operatives carrying out official duties in the nearby Agbede community, an action that reportedly caused concern among some students of the institution.
The management, however, said no student was arrested during the operation, noting that the swift intervention of security agencies, alongside the institution’s internal security team, prevented the protest from escalating.
But in a statement on Thursday, the EFCC said operatives of its Ilorin zonal directorate on Wednesday carried out a sting operation in two buildings flagged for suspected internet-related fraud in the area.
According to the anti-graft agency, the raid led to the arrest of 30 suspected internet fraudsters, six of whom are students of the polytechnic.
The commission said preliminary profiling showed that the six students were “actively involved” in internet fraud.
The profiling of the students showed that all the six students are actively involved in internet fraud. Eight vehicles suspected to be proceeds of crime were recovered from the suspects, alongside mobile phones and laptops,” the statement reads.
The EFCC clarified that the operation was not connected to the polytechnic, noting that its operatives did not enter the institution’s premises or disrupt any academic activity.
“It is untenable to link any protest by some students of the polytechnic to the lawful operation of the EFCC. Any video in circulation linking students’ protest with the operation of the commission is contrived and a misrepresentation of the operation,” the statement added.
