The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has confirmed reports of carrying out a sting operation at Applewood Estate, Orchid Road, Lekki, Lagos State, on Monday, October 26.
On Monday, videos of residents of the estate protesting after the operatives carried out its operations surfaced online.
In a statement released this evening, the commission confirmed its operatives carried out the sting operation to apprehend suspected cybercrime fraudsters obtaining money from unsuspecting victims through gift cards, crypto currencies and international money transfers by impersonating several individuals.
‘’The operation, carried out by 5am, yielded the arrest of twenty-one(21) suspected cybercrime fraudsters and five exotic cars. The fraudsters were apprehended professionally owing to diligent pre-arrest surveillance and reconnaissance of the activities of the fraudsters. A young lady that stood in the way of the operation by making telephone calls to alert the fraudsters was held and her phone confiscated until the conclusion of the operation. The phone was later released to her.”
The agency said preliminary investigations of the arrested suspects indicted nineteen(19) of them while the remaining two have been released.
It added that all the indicted suspects will be arraigned in court immediately.
The agency said the sting operation at Applewood Estate was professionally carried out, with no record of harassment, intimidation or unlawful arrest of anyone. It added that it is open to constructive engagement by well-meaning Nigerians but blackmailers and alarmists will not be allowed to sabotage its mandate.