Oba Of Lagos Condemns Internet Fraud Among Youth
The Oba of Lagos, His Royal Majesty Oba Rilwan Babatunde Osuolale Aremu Akiolu, has condemned the growing culture of internet fraud among Nigerian youths, describing the get-rich-quick mentality as wrong.
According to a statement shared by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on its social media platforms, the monarch stated this while receiving officials of the EFCC, led by the Acting Director of the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, Ahmad M. Ghali, during a courtesy visit to his Iga Idunganran palace in Lagos.
Oba Akiolu emphasised that both the Bible and the Quran discourage such practices.
“The get-rich-quick syndrome is wrong and should be discouraged. Even the two holy books, the Bible and the Holy Quran, frown at it,” the Oba stated.
He commended the EFCC’s efforts in tackling economic and financial crimes and expressed the traditional institution’s readiness to support the Commission in its anti-corruption crusade.
Oba Akiolu noted that the fight against corruption and economic crimes “is a task that demands the strength of institutions, the wisdom of leadership, and the unity of the people.”
In his remarks, Ghali thanked the Oba for his warm reception and reaffirmed the EFCC’s commitment to curbing financial crimes in Lagos.
He informed the monarch of the creation of the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, based in Ikoyi, aimed at intensifying efforts in crime prevention and prosecution.
“Your Royal Majesty, I bring warm greetings from the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Mr Ola Olukoyede. Today, my team and I consider it most necessary to seek an audience with Your Majesty in full recognition of your fatherly role in society. Beyond this, I am here to formally inform you, as one of our highly respected critical stakeholders, of the creation of the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the EFCC. The new directorate was established to further strengthen our unwavering resolve to combat the menace of economic and financial crimes in this domain,” Ghali said.
The EFCC chief also lamented the increasing number of youths involved in internet fraud, revealing that credible intelligence reports point to several parts of Lagos as emerging hotspots for such criminal activities.
“Almost daily, the Directorate is inundated with credible intelligence about the alleged involvement of youths across various parts of the state in cybercrimes. Another grave concern is the increasing number of land fraud cases, which form the bulk of petitions regularly submitted to the Directorate for investigations,” Ghali said.
“I am counting on your support because your voice is deeply respected and carries tremendous influence in our society. As a revered king, you are closer to the people than we are, and they are traditionally inclined to listen to your guidance. In view of this, I would like to respectfully draw from your fountain of wisdom, especially as a retired super cop, on how best to navigate the unpredictable landscape of combating economic and financial crimes in this jurisdiction and to flush out non-state actors from their hideouts,” he added.
Oba Of Lagos Condemns Internet Fraud Among Youth is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
