The chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, was recently quoted as alleging that six in 10 of Nigerian students are into cybercrime.

Speaking at the 8th biennial conference of the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities in Nigeria (COPSUN), in Kano, he said findings from recent EFCC field operations showed a troubling level of internet fraud involvement among undergraduates.
Unfortunately, he anchored his claim on the outcome of what he called field operations.

That is the extent of the scientific basis or lack of it of Olukoyede’s allegation against students. In a country where statistics and data are hard to come by, the EFCC boss should have applied some sense of logic to a subject as sensitive as the sweeping generalisation of a generation of young men and women who constitute the dominant population in Nigeria.
Over 60 percent of Nigeria’s population is under the age of 30, making it one of the world’s most youthful nations.

As of early 2026, the median age is approximately 18.3 years, with over 40 percent of the population under 15, highlighting a very young demographic structure.

Going by Olukoyede’s claim that 60 percent of the students engage in cybercrimes, then more than half of the population of youths are liable. However, there is absolutely no logic in the claim. In fact, it is a wild and baseless claim.

The EFCC boss gave no thought to the wider implications of his allegation. If anything, the claim sheds light on the siege mentality of security agencies, especially operatives of the EFCC in the treatment of youths over suspicions of cybercrime. Operatives often employ unorthodox and illegal operational playbook in dealing with youths suspected to be engaging in cybercrime. They infringe on their rights and extend such questionable strategies to the hospitality industry. Hotels and night clubs are raided with occupiers and patrons unilaterally arrested after which the agency will begin investigating those detained.

More often than not, those arrested remain in EFCC detention without being charged to court while the agency conducts its “investigation”, infringing on the rights of detained persons to being presumed innocent until proven guilty in a competent court of law.

It was expected that the appointment of Olukoyede as boss of the anti-crime agency on 12 October 2023 would herald a new era in the EFCC. Rather, he has been unable to make its operatives adopt effective and intelligence-based strategies in combating crime.

By the sweeping classification of students as cybercriminals, Olukoyede is encouraging the sometimes degrading, debasing and illegal treatment meted out to students by not just his operatives but other security agents.

On the international front, Olukoyede has reinforced the perception of Nigerian youths, albeit falsely, as criminals through his reckless and unscientific generalisation.
Nigerian youths are facing a severe, multi-faceted economic crisis characterised by high unemployment with 80 million jobless as of late 2025, extreme inflation, and widespread poverty.

These factors, compounded by a lack of skills for the labour market, have led to increased crime, mental health challenges, with up 60 percent considering emigration among young people. Millions of youths are unable to find jobs, with roughly 1.7 million graduates entering a job market annually that cannot absorb them. Many are forced into low-income, informal sector jobs.

This, however, is not to justify criminal tendencies among young people. On the contrary, we believe that everyone, irrespective of age, should be subjected to the full weight of the law. In doing this, Olukoyede should get his men to play by the rule, respect the rights of suspects who the law sees as innocent until proven guilty in court.

The embattled younger generation does not need to generally criminalised by an EFCC boss whose agency has not quite distinguished itself in high profile arrests and prosecution. Using the vulnerable youths as a postcard of a seeming success in the fight against cybercrime is unacceptable.