The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will on Friday arraign 23 of the 93 suspected internet fraudsters arrested at a hotel located within the former President Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) complex in Abeokuta, Ogun state.
The suspects will appear before Justice D. Dipeolu of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, following their arrest during a pool party reportedly arranged to celebrate their fraudulent activities.
According to the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, the accused face charges including impersonation, identity theft, and computer fraud. The remaining accused are expected to face charges in later batches.
According to the Commission, the suspects transferred the party, which had been planned for two other places, to the hotel on the OOPL grounds in an attempt to avoid arrest.
“The planners got wind of the Commission’s intelligence and scampered to the OOPL, expecting a sort of covering from arrest,” the statement read.
The EFCC emphasised that the operation did not target the former president’s facility and that the focus was only on the suspects, who have now admitted to internet-related crimes.
It stated that profiling revealed that nearly all of those arrested were involved in internet fraud.
“The arraignment of the suspects, scheduled in batches, is coming on the heels of their arrest at a pool party where they were celebrating their exploits,” the EFCC said, reaffirming its resolve to bring offenders to justice.
The EFCC assured the public that investigations are ongoing and the remaining suspects will face trial in due course.
