The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has commented on the arrest of 93 suspected internet fraudsters at a hotel within the precincts of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) which drew criticism from the management of the library for their conduct at the premises.
The EFCC said they will, on Friday, August 15, arraign 23 out of the suspects before Justice D. Dipeolu of the Federal High Court, sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos.
This was even as the commission clarified that the OOPL was not its primary target, but the suspected internet fraudsters within its ambit.
Upon profiling, almost all the suspects arrested have been indicted for alleged offences bordering on impersonation, identity, and internet fraud, EFCC spokesman Dele Oyewale said.
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 party was initially planned to be held in two locations, but was shifted to the hotel in the OOPL, ostensibly to escape possible arrest by operatives of the EFCC.
Oyewale said, “The planners got wind of the commission’s intelligence and scampered to the OOPL, expecting a sort of covering from arrest.
“The former president’s facility was not a target of EFCC’s operations.
“The suspects were the target and have confessed their involvement in internet crimes,” he added.
The arraignment of the remaining suspects is expected to follow shortly.
