Internet fraud: Concerted efforts required for fight, as Nigerians now suffer the scourge

Internet Fraud has become one delinquency eating deep into the fabrics of the Nigerian society. The level of its pervasiveness has grown to the extent that many now celebrate the flamboyant life style of perpetrators of the crime. The permeating intrusion of the menace has seen, many, particularly the young ones, increasingly settling for the delinquency as a career. More young people are now getting to enrol for tutoring under the tutelage of cyber fraud kingpins.

While the admittance that the increasing settlement of more of young people for internet fraud pose grave danger to the Country is not unknown, the fight to exterminate the permeating force of the menace has not, in any wise, reflect profound firmness distilling the roving pervasiveness of the trend of the menace. Rather, the narratives are more of entrenchment and recruitment of increasing young persons into the criminality growing into a strong force of illegitimate venture.

The impacts of the menace is, undoubtedly, ravaging the fabrics of the society. Beyond immediate socio-economic impacts, its ravaging blows on cultural and political fabrics are no less forceful. The clustering impacts have seen the degeneration of morals, hard work, respect for human dignity, among other societal values, taking forceful erosion with the wearing off of good ideals of acceptable standards.

The need to fight against the menace is a  necessity that must be fought headlong. However, how to fight the menace is a critical subject demanding deep reflections. Since the character of the crime is strategic, any conclusive fight against such must not only be strategic, but also must be concerted and  intelligence based.

The subsisting architecture relying largely on the security formation and prosecution by law do have their relevance, but the reliance on same has only seen the menace growing like wild fire. Arrests upon arrests have been recorded, but the delinquency has kept to its rising profile  with tiring redundancies.

On Thursday, July 22, 2022,  the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), said it had arrested 18 suspected internet fraudsters in Abuja. According to a statement on the anti-graft commission’s Facebook page, the suspects were apprehended on July 19, 2022 at the Army Estate Phase Five, Kurudu, in Abuja. The EFCC stated that the suspects are: Innocent Samson, Obiora Eze, Ifeanyi Joseph, Isdore Chinedu, Badaki Linus, Ameh Nick, Kelvin Chima, Akwa Iwu Promise Ifeanyi, Adekunle Samuel. Others are: Abutu John, Testimony Mathiew, Omale Mary Ochanya (female), Afarm Darlington Edwin, Henry John, Urochukwu Abel, Ogieto Gift, Innocent Gideon, Ojimini Maduemyi Raymond, Mathiew Timothy, and Kingsley Chukwuemeka.

“They were arrested on July 19, 2022 at Army Estate Phase Five, Kurudu, Abuja, following intelligence reports received by the Commission about their alleged involvement in internet- related fraud. Items recovered from the suspects include three cars: a Lexus RX 350, Lexus ES 350 and Peugeot 306, a motorbike, six laptop computers, and mobile phones,” the statement read. Such arrests have not ceased over time, but whether they are deterring indulgence into the act is a critical question that must be mused on. Records have not shown so, as observations have shown worsening profile of cyber fraud.

The fight against the criminality has gone beyond what only anti-graft agencies can fight. The architecture of response which is right to detonate the exploding force of the menace is beyond the reach of anti-graft agencies. Having had the menace blown beyond measure, no less than an overarching architecture of multi-responsive measures,  with blend of forceful coordination, is required  to tackle the degree of the strings of the illegitimate network.

The blend of soft and hard parameters to fight the menace is pertinent with pragmatic sense of concerted frameworks. In this light, the system of responses must leverage stronger contributions from religious, educational, cultural, social and political institutions of the society.

Politically, all the operating organs forming the Government, from the executive, to the legislature and the judiciary, have critical roles to play. Moving the statutory provisions instructing the trials and prosecution of  internet fraud ahead is pertinent. Amending the law, where necessary, and improving on same with emerging provisions, stern enough, to spark deterrence against the menace is pertinent. The prevailing system of jurisprudence guiding the prosecution of internet fraud suspects appear to be too weak to drive the kind of force of deterrence required to discourage incursion into the crime. Only concerted efforts with harmony of reasons among the three organs can push forth such reality. Without such ambience, the law enforcement and intelligence agencies may end up having their push more or less frustrating, rather than making headway unto a conclusive fight.

Beyond the reliance on hard measures, the soft measures remain pertinent. It is known that harsh socio-economic conditions constitute one of the forceful factor recognised as an instigator of elaborate incursion of more young people into the menace. The high rate of unemployment, harsh living conditions, financial exclusion, lack of access to grants and social welfare, making life unbearable for many, have been recorded as strong factors pushing many into cyber fraud. While such conditions are not justifiable to resort to criminality, working to ease the harsh conditions of living in the Country, is a clarion call the Government must muster effort to make a reality. No excuse can be tenable for the wobbling narratives of the economy, only solutions to revamp same for better living standards are desirable, as such would form a firm antidote against pervasiveness of criminal activities, which cyber crime remain one of.

The roles of religious and socio-cultural organs of the society are pertinent as gatekeepers to watch against societal ills. Coordinating strategic campaigns with vociferous resonance is essential to build psychological resistance against the menace. As institutions whose instruments of appeals largely bear record to this, it is sacrosanct these institutions rise to the demands of ensuring sanity is upheld in the society in the course of seeking livelihood, against the prevailing sensations of settlement for get-rich-quick syndrome through fraudulent devices.

Building structures of reverberating campaigns against the menace is a project all gafekeeping institutions, including educational institution, must begin to embrace with forceful concern. Many are continually falling victims of internet fraud. The menace which used to have foreigners as the targets, has become so pervasive that Nigerians are now themselves no longer a sacred cow. They have recently become sufferers as victims of the menace. All must rise against the phenomenon!.