The federal government would cooperate fully with the United States Government, including issuing an executive order to forestall a repeat of the massive email fraud and money laundering that led to the arrest of 80 persons, 77 of whom were Nigerians.
Arrests by FIB
In a series of arrests, the Federal Bureau of Investigations in the U.S. nabbed one of the “most prolific” rings of Nigerian fraudsters operating in the country.
While 14 arrests were made, a 252-count federal grand jury indictmentunsealed Thursday, named 80 defendants charged with defrauding victims of up to $10 million in one of the “largest cases of its kind in US history.”
The fraudsters used a variety of cyber fraud methods to attempt to steal $40 million in total from victims in 10 countries as well as the U.S.
The unsealed indictment shows the evolving tactics of online fraudsters which has seen them continue to dupe unwitting victims despite numerous awareness campaigns about the online scams.
In the past, internet scams associated with Nigerians (known locally as “Yahoo Boys”) were dominated by romance scams through dating sites as well as phony email business propositions from infamous “Nigerian princes,” but their current tactics appear to have changed.
The development has been generating various reactions from across the country.
Presidency speaks
Stating the presidency’s position on the issue, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity Garba Shehu said President Buhari would allow the law take its course.
Shehu stated this when he featured Sunday night on Politics Today, aired by Channels Television.
He said the federal government would collaborate with the National Assembly to come up with new laws that would block some of the loopholes being exploited by fraudulent Nigerians to embarrass the country.
“This is a double damage on every citizen of Nigeria, is a big scare on all of us who go out of this country and are seen in this image that these our brothers have created.
“We will cooperate with international organisations, the government will generate and ask for new laws from the National Assembly and there will be new executive orders that will block some of these loopholes that are being exploited by some of our fellow countrymen to go out there and embarrass and blacklist the country,” he said.
He said the federal government would work with all nations around the globe to fight criminality.
“If Nigerians are involved in this thing, well, hard luck to them. The president will not stand in the way of the justice system. Every citizen that travels out of this country is expected to obey the laws of their host country. President Muhammadu Buhari is not one to excuse Nigerians from the laws of countries in which they reside.
“Therefore, you will expect a more vigorous engagement with National Assembly. The laws will have to change, this has got to be tackled and if it will take executive orders, this will be strengthened very rapidly,” he further said.
Asked whether there were moves to ensure not all Nigerians are painted with the same brush since the arrest borders on reputation, Shehu said: “I think every person with a modicum of common sense knows that the action of few Nigerians is not the action of all Nigerians.
“We are 200 million plus in the country and you are talking about 80 Nigerians in this case, they will face the justice system. If the Nigerian government is expected to cooperate in anyway, extradition, if it meets the requirement of our laws, they will be assisted to ensure they face justice in that country.
“Nigerians are hardworking people all over the world, there are millions of our citizens out there earning legitimate living, they don’t deserve to be so tarnished.”
He said there was direct communication between Nigeria and the American government on the incident which was termed as the largest online fraud in U.S. history
“The Diaspora Commission is there and the Nigerian Government has taken a position on this matter, it is cooperation all the way,” he said.
