Six out of every 10 university students into ‘Yahoo Yahoo’ — EFCC chair Olukoyede

The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Olanipekun Olukoyede, has raised serious concern over the alleged widespread involvement of Nigerian university students in cybercrime.

Speaking at the 8th Biennial Conference of the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities in Nigeria in Kano, themed “Unlocking the Potentials of Artificial Intelligence: University Governance, Internationalization and Rankings,” Olukoyede said intelligence gathered by the commission suggests a troubling trend.

According to him, findings from investigations and field operations indicate that about six out of every ten students in Nigerian universities are involved in internet fraud and related offences.

“My research in the last one year has shown that about six out of 10 students in our universities are into cybercrime. It is a very disturbing situation,” he said.

He described the development as alarming, noting that many of those arrested in recent EFCC operations were undergraduates, with some allegedly deeply embedded in cybercrime networks.

Olukoyede further revealed that in a major operation in Lagos, 792 suspects linked to a transnational cybercrime syndicate were arrested, with a significant number reportedly being students.

He also expressed concern over the growing phenomenon of “Yahoo Plus,” where suspects combine internet fraud with fetish practices.

According to him, the situation points to deeper institutional and societal challenges, including weak oversight mechanisms and vulnerabilities within the education system.

He warned that some students involved in cybercrime had even compromised academic environments by allegedly influencing lecturers and manipulating university systems.

The EFCC boss called on university authorities and governing councils to urgently address the trend by strengthening internal controls and adopting technology-driven governance systems.

He advocated the use of artificial intelligence in university administration, particularly in fraud detection, payroll monitoring, procurement oversight, and academic integrity checks.

Olukoyede stressed that many institutions still rely on manual processes, making them vulnerable to fraud such as ghost workers, contract inflation, and fund diversion.

“A university that lacks financial accountability cannot credibly train future professionals. The integrity of our universities is a matter of national security,” he said.

He also encouraged investment in digital infrastructure and capacity building in cybersecurity, machine learning, and digital governance, while urging stronger collaboration between universities, regulators, and anti-corruption agencies.

The EFCC chairman added that although artificial intelligence is a powerful tool for accountability and investigation, it must complement human oversight and be deployed within legal frameworks.

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