The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has raised alarm that the surge in internet fraud—popularly known as “Yahoo Yahoo”—is worsening visa restrictions for innocent Nigerians seeking to travel abroad.
EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede, represented by Chief Superintendent CSE Coker Oyegunle, issued the warning on Monday during a youth security summit organized by the Coalition of Nigerian Youth on Security and Safety Affairs in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
According to a statement released Tuesday, Olukoyede stressed that cybercrime, money laundering, and economic sabotage are draining billions of naira from Nigeria each year, stifling development, crippling job creation, and fueling international distrust.
“Internet fraud damages Nigeria’s image and forces foreign governments to tighten visa rules for law-abiding citizens,” he said. “Fraud is not success—it’s a trap. Easy come, easy go. Those who choose this path lose their freedom, reputation, and future. Digital footprints never disappear, and the law is catching up with offenders.”
The EFCC boss urged Nigerian youths, especially in the South-South, to channel their creativity into productive sectors like tech innovation, agriculture, entrepreneurship, and the creative economy instead of cybercrime.
Olukoyede reaffirmed the commission’s plan to intensify nationwide sensitization campaigns and strengthen collaboration with local communities to curb internet fraud and related offences.
Other security agencies at the event echoed similar warnings. NDLEA representative Mathew Ewah highlighted the dangers of drug abuse, while the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) cautioned against pipeline vandalism in the region.
The EFCC has recently ramped up its crackdown on cybercrime. In August, Lagos operatives arrested 38 suspected internet fraudsters in Ikorodu, recovering vehicles, mobile phones, and substances believed to be narcotics. In Edo State, 12 individuals, including two brothers, were convicted of advance-fee fraud and possession of fraudulent documents.
This surge in cybercrime comes as the United States tightened its visa reciprocity rules in July, cutting the validity of certain non-immigrant visas for Nigerians—such as B1/B2 business and tourism visas, along with F and J student and exchange visas—to just three months and single entry.
The EFCC insists that only a collective effort to eliminate cyber fraud can protect Nigeria’s global reputation and ease the travel barriers now facing innocent citizens.
