'Debit alerts woke her up': How 'Yahoo boys' wiped ₦7.2m from judge's account overnight — EFCC recounts

• EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede said a serving judge lost more than ₦7.2 million to suspected internet fraudsters while she slept.

• According to Olukoyede, the judge woke up after receiving multiple debit alerts in the middle of the night.

• The EFCC chairman said the anti-graft agency recovered the entire amount before the end of the same day.

• Olukoyede used the incident to call for stronger cooperation in tackling cybercrime and other financial offences in Nigeria.

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has recounted how suspected internet fraudsters, popularly known as "Yahoo boys", allegedly stole more than ₦7.2 million from the bank account of a serving judge in one of Nigeria's South-South states.

According to Vanguard News, Olukoyede disclosed the incident while speaking at the public presentation of two books written by retired High Court judge, Justice Alaba Omolaye-Ajileye, where he highlighted the growing sophistication of cybercrime and called for stronger collaboration between law enforcement agencies, the judiciary and other stakeholders to combat financial crimes.

According to the EFCC chairman, the judge received multiple debit alerts in the middle of the night, only to discover that the money she had painstakingly saved over six years for her child's education abroad had been withdrawn from her account.

"About three weeks ago, I got a call at 1 a.m. from a serving judge in one of the states in the South-South. She was crying. She had just been scammed of over ₦7.2 million she had been putting together for six years to send her child to school abroad," Olukoyede said.

Describing how the incident unfolded, he said the judge told him it was the unexpected debit notifications that woke her from sleep.

"It was alerts that woke her up. She received debits at that time of the day," he said.

Olukoyede did not disclose the exact method allegedly used by the fraudsters to gain access to the account. He also did not identify the judge or the state where the incident occurred.

The EFCC chairman, however, said the anti-graft agency immediately swung into action after receiving the distress call and was able to recover the stolen funds within hours.

"Before 6 p.m., we recovered the entire money for her," he said.

Olukoyede also recounted what he described as an ironic aspect of the incident. According to him, the judge serves in a state where a court had previously issued an order restraining the EFCC from investigating certain financial crimes.

He said he reminded the judge of the court order when she contacted him for help.

"I said, 'My Lord, I have an order, an injunction not to investigate financial crimes in your state.' She said, 'No, no, no! This is an exception. You must do something immediately,'" Olukoyede recounted.

He said the experience underscored the need for Nigerians to support efforts to tackle cybercrime, noting that many people only appreciate the importance of anti-corruption agencies after becoming victims themselves.

Olukoyede warned that internet fraud has become increasingly sophisticated, with advances in technology, including artificial intelligence, making it easier for criminals to target unsuspecting victims.

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He stressed that tackling the menace would require stronger cooperation among security agencies, financial institutions, the judiciary and the public.

"Not until we, as Nigerians, come together and agree to face this challenge, it is only then that we will be able to put this problem behind us," he said.

The EFCC chairman has repeatedly raised concerns about the evolution of cybercrime in Nigeria, warning that some internet fraud syndicates have expanded beyond online scams into more organised criminal activities, making the fight against financial crimes increasingly complex.