Suspected Internet fraudsters, otherwise called Yahoo boys, have gone underground in some major towns in Ekiti State.
This followed massive crackdown by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The anti-graft agency had carried out not fewer than four massive raids on the hideouts of the Yahoo boys in some residential areas of Ado-Ekiti and tertiary institutions.
In the last few months, about 80 suspects have been arrested in locations in Ekiti and taken to the EFCC zonal office in Ibadan, Oyo State, in a raid code-named “Operation Cyber Storm.”
The Nation investigation yesterday showed that many of the Yahoo boys in Ado-Ekiti and Ikere-Ekiti have started fleeing the state to avoid being arrested by the anti-graft agency.
Our reporter gathered that many of them no longer parade the streets of Ado-Ekiti, Ikere-Ekiti and other parts of the state with their posh cars, blaring out music.
A visit to hotels, night clubs, pubs and other fun spots patronised by the Yahoo boys revealed that many of them are on the run to escape arrest.
Unlike before, the hotels and fun spots located at Adebayo, Ilawe Road, Poly Road and GRA were no longer patronised by the Yahoo boys.
A security source said: “This is not the best of time for these Yahoo boys. Many of them have fled the state following massive raids carried out by the EFCC.
“The fear of those yet to be arrested is that they don’t know when the EFCC operatives will storm the state again.
“The Yahoo boys and their girlfriends know that they are being monitored and tracked by security agents, and the best approach is to either go underground or flee, to escape arrest.”
A worker in one of the hotels patronised by the Yahoo boys said: “It is true that most of them no longer come to our place to have fun with their colleagues and girlfriends.
“The last raid carried out in this place is still fresh in their memories and I believe this may have been the reason why they no longer come here for fun. This has brought economic and social activities to a standstill.”
A resident, Tope Adaraniwon, urged the EFCC not to relent in ridding the state of the menace of Internet scam, which he said was against the Ekiti core values of integrity and hard work.
He said: “This is a welcome development because these boys have constituted themselves to tin gods, who cannot be touched. But it is no longer business as usual.
“You must work hard in a legitimate and godly way to earn your wealth and not by fraudulent and foul means and still having the effrontery to display the ill-gotten wealth.”
The first EFCC raid in Ekiti State happened on July 10. Over 30 suspects were arrested and taken to the zonal office in Ibadan.
The EFCC operatives, in another raid carried out on August 7, nabbed four students of the Ekiti State University (EKSU), for alleged involvement in cybercrime.
They were picked up by the EFCC operatives at the school gate and their hostels, and taken out of the state to face interrogation.
The latest EFCC clamp down was recorded last Friday at the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti where some students were arrested for alleged involvement in Internet scam.
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