The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, has raised fresh concerns over the growing involvement of Nigerian university students in cybercrime, revealing that about six out of every 10 undergraduates are engaged in internet fraud and related offences.
Olukoyede disclosed on Tuesday while delivering a keynote address at the 8th Biennial Conference of the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities in Nigeria in Kano, where stakeholders gathered to discuss the role of technology and governance in higher education.
The anti-graft chief described the trend as disturbing, warning that the increasing spread of cybercrime across university campuses poses a major threat to the country’s future workforce and institutional credibility.
“My research in the last year has shown that about six out of 10 students in our universities are into cybercrime. It is a very disturbing situation,” he said.
According to him, findings from recent investigations and field operations by the commission indicate that many suspects arrested for internet fraud are students, exposing what he described as deep structural weaknesses in the country’s tertiary education system.
Olukoyede said the situation goes beyond student involvement in cybercrime, disclosing that some undergraduates had allegedly placed lecturers on payroll to compromise academic processes and avoid disciplinary scrutiny.
He said the development points to broader governance failures, weak oversight and poor accountability mechanisms in Nigerian universities.
The EFCC chairman warned that institutions established to build the next generation of leaders must not become safe havens for criminal activity.
He cited the December 2024 crackdown in Lagos, where 792 suspected cyber fraudsters linked to a transnational syndicate were arrested, noting that a significant number of those apprehended were students.
According to him, the operation exposed the growing sophistication of cybercrime networks and how deeply they have penetrated the country’s youth population.
Olukoyede also expressed concern over the rise of “Yahoo Plus,” a trend where internet fraud is allegedly mixed with fetish practices, warning that the development adds a more dangerous layer to the cybercrime problem.
He said beyond financial losses suffered by victims, the growing acceptance of fraud among young Nigerians threatens ethical values and could further damage the country’s international reputation.
The EFCC boss called on university authorities and governing councils to strengthen institutional controls and improve collaboration with anti-corruption agencies and security institutions.
“A university that lacks financial accountability cannot credibly train future professionals. The integrity of our universities is a matter of national security,” he said.
Olukoyede also advocated the adoption of artificial intelligence in university governance, saying technology could help improve transparency and detect financial misconduct faster.
He explained that AI tools could be deployed in payroll monitoring, procurement processes, auditing systems and academic integrity management to detect suspicious activities in real time.
The EFCC chairman added that the commission has already integrated AI into parts of its investigations, especially in digital forensics and financial tracking.
He, however, cautioned that technology alone cannot solve corruption without ethical leadership and stronger human accountability.
His remarks come amid rising concerns over youth unemployment, economic hardship and the increasing attraction of internet fraud among young Nigerians, with experts warning that the trend could worsen without urgent institutional reforms and social intervention.
