Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), chairman, Ola Olukoyede, has clarified reports linking him to a claim that most Nigerian students are involved in cybercrime, saying his statement was misunderstood.
He explained that he never described six out of ten students in Nigeria as criminals.
Speaking during a programme on Channels Television, he said his earlier comment was based on a specific set of cases handled by the commission and not a general statement about all students in the country.
He said he was addressing a group of university pro-chancellors when he shared findings from investigations carried out by the EFCC.
Olukoyede explained that in some of the cases reviewed, six out of ten students who were investigated were found to be involved in cyber-related offences.
He noted that this was limited to those examined in those particular cases and should not be taken as a reflection of the entire student population.
He said the intention behind his statement was to draw attention to a worrying trend among some young people, not to label students across the country as criminals.
The EFCC noss added that the way the message was reported gave a wrong impression of what he meant.
He said: “Yesterday I was addressing a committee of pro-chancellors of universities, and I made a statement that the media took out of context this morning. I was trying to draw an analogy about our young Nigerians, the people we expect to hold the fort for tomorrow, and I shared an example of what I have seen in the course of my investigations.
“But I did not call six out of ten Nigerian students criminals. No, I would not have done that. What I said was: based on the intelligence we gathered, for every ten students that we investigated, we discovered that six were found culpable. Yes, the record is there.”
The EFCC boss also said the situation made him think deeply about the best way to handle such cases involving young Nigerians.
He questioned whether sending many of them to prison would solve the problem or create more issues in the future.
He explained that this concern has pushed the commission to look into other options, including working with the government on programmes that can support and redirect young people. According to him, giving them better opportunities could help reduce their involvement in crime.
Olukoyede stressed that the EFCC is not focused on targeting youths but on building a country where honesty and accountability are part of everyday life. He said the commission wants to see a society where people choose the right path, regardless of age or background.
