NIGERIA’S anti-graft agency has arrested 792 suspects in a major raid on a Lagos building allegedly serving as a hub for international fraud operations. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) revealed that the suspects included 148 Chinese nationals and 40 Filipinos, all detained on December 10 at the seven-storey Big Leaf Building, a luxury property in Nigeria’s commercial capital.
The EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, said the building housed a large-scale call centre targeting victims across the Americas and Europe. Operatives lured unsuspecting individuals via social media platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram, offering romance or attractive investment opportunities.
‘Once victims were hooked, they were pressured to transfer funds for fraudulent cryptocurrency investments or other fake projects,’ Uwujaren explained.
Global phishing operation
The agency revealed that the fraudulent network operated in stages. Nigerian accomplices initially engaged victims online, building trust and confidence through phishing schemes. Foreign operatives, described as ‘kingpins,’ then took over to finalise the scam and extract money.
‘Nigerian accomplices were recruited to prospect for victims online, targeting mostly Americans, Canadians, Mexicans, and Europeans,’ Uwujaren said. ‘The foreigners handled the actual task of defrauding the victims once trust was established.’
During the raid, EFCC agents confiscated computers, phones, and vehicles linked to the operation. The agency is now collaborating with international partners to probe further connections to organised crime.
Broader implications
This massive crackdown underlines Nigeria’s renewed focus on combating cybercrime, particularly scams involving foreign nationals. It also highlights the growing sophistication of fraud schemes, which increasingly combine technology, social engineering, and global networks to exploit victims.
The EFCC’s latest success, however, raises further questions about the systemic issues enabling these criminal operations to flourish in the first place.
