On Tuesday, Ola Olukoyede, the chairperson of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), recounted an encounter with a 17-year-old cybercrime suspect.
Speaking at the launch of the 24/7 Cybercrime Rapid Response Desk in Abuja, Mr Olukoyede said the boy, whose name was not given, demonstrated surprising computer proficiency that left him shocked.
He said the boy’s case underscores the need for societal change towards tackling the underlying motivations behind cybercriminal activities.
Mr Olukyede said he decided to engage the boy, a first-year university student studying history, to let him “demonstrate his acumen, his proficiency.”
“And I gave him my laptop. ‘How do you do this, young man?’ By the way, he is not even studying science. He is studying history. But you need to see the proficiency.
“He opened my system and without giving him my password, he decoded my system.
“And I was there, shocked. I mean, this is not funny. I mean, that shows the skills that we have in Nigeria.”
He continued, “And before you could say that, he said, ‘Sir, which bank do you use?’ I said, ‘No, I’m not going to tell you that. I don’t want to demonstrate that in my office.’ But he was ready to probably go into my account.”
Mr Olukoyede said he sought to know the motivation driving the boy’s cybercrime activities.
“’Why do you do this?’ And he told me because there is no alternative. He had to pay his school fees – a 100-year-level student,” he said.
He said from his encounter with the boy, he realised that “This job can’t be left to EFCC law. It’s a collective responsibility,” stressing the need to redirect such talents.
“We must change the narrative—from criminality to productivity and from cybercrime to cyberwealth,” he said.