The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)
has confirmed carrying out a sting operation at Applewood Estate, Orchid Road,
Lekki, Lagos State, on Monday, October 26.
The confirmation followed videos that surfaced online
on Monday showing residents of the estate protesting after the operation. In a
statement released in the evening, the commission said its operatives carried
out the operation to apprehend suspected cybercrime fraudsters who obtain money
from unsuspecting victims through gift cards, cryptocurrencies and
international money transfers, by impersonating several individuals.
According to the EFCC, the operation, which was
carried out by 5 a.m., led to the arrest of 21 suspected fraudsters and the
seizure of five exotic cars. It said the suspects were apprehended
professionally, owing to diligent pre-arrest surveillance and reconnaissance of
their activities.
The commission also said a young woman who stood in
the way of the operation by making telephone calls to alert the fraudsters was
held, and her phone was confiscated until the operation ended. The phone was
later returned to her.
Preliminary investigations indicted 19 of the arrested
suspects, while the remaining two were released. The commission said all the
indicted suspects will be arraigned in court immediately.
The EFCC maintained that the operation was carried out
professionally, with no record of harassment, intimidation or unlawful arrest
of anyone. It added that it is open to constructive engagement by well-meaning
Nigerians, but will not allow blackmailers and alarmists to sabotage its
mandate.
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