By Luminous Jannamike, ABUJA
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will on Friday arraign 23 of the 93 suspected internet fraudsters arrested at a hotel located within the former President Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) complex in Abeokuta.
The suspects will appear before Justice D. Dipeolu of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, following their arrest during a pool party allegedly organised to celebrate their fraudulent activities.
In a statement by its Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, the EFCC said the accused persons face charges bordering on impersonation, identity theft, and internet fraud. The remaining suspects are expected to be arraigned in subsequent batches.
According to the Commission, the suspects had moved the party, initially planned for two other venues, to the hotel within the OOPL premises in an attempt to evade arrest.
“The planners got wind of the Commission’s intelligence and scampered to the OOPL, expecting a sort of covering from arrest,” the statement read.
The EFCC stressed that the operation did not target the former president’s facility, adding that the focus was solely on the suspects, who have since confessed to internet-related crimes.
It noted that profiling revealed nearly all those arrested were implicated in online fraud.
“The arraignment of the suspects, scheduled in batches, is coming on the heels of their arrest at a pool party where they were celebrating their exploits,” the EFCC said, reaffirming its resolve to bring offenders to justice.
The Commission assured the public that investigations are ongoing and the remaining suspects will face trial in due course.
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