The growing involvement of undergraduates in cybercrime has been described as a major national concern by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) boss, Olanipekun Olukoyede, who estimates that six in 10 students may be affected.
He raised the alarm on Tuesday at the 8th Biennial Conference of the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities in Kano, where he said the trend poses a serious threat to Nigeria’s future.
Olukoyede said findings from investigations and field operations by the commission show that many suspects arrested for cyber-related offences are university students, with some allegedly going as far as compromising lecturers and influencing academic processes.
He noted that a recent operation in Lagos led to the arrest of 792 suspects linked to a transnational cybercrime network, adding that a significant number of those detained were undergraduates. According to him, the operation, supported by artificial intelligence tools, exposed the scale and sophistication of cybercrime syndicates operating within and outside Nigeria.
He also expressed concern over the rise of “Yahoo Plus”, a variant of internet fraud reportedly linked to ritual practices, describing it as a dangerous moral and security development.
The EFCC boss called on university authorities to strengthen internal controls and collaborate more closely with security agencies to address the trend, stressing that institutional integrity is a matter of national security.
He further advocated the use of artificial intelligence in university administration to improve transparency in payroll systems, procurement, and fraud detection, noting that digital tools could help identify irregular transactions in real time.
While acknowledging that the EFCC is already deploying AI in areas such as digital forensics and financial tracking, he stressed that technology should complement human oversight rather than replace it.
Olukoyede also urged universities to invest in digital infrastructure and build capacity in cybersecurity and digital governance, calling for stronger collaboration between institutions, regulators, and anti-corruption agencies to curb emerging threats.
