Judge's six-year savings vanish overnight

Judge's account drained overnight

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ola Olukayode, has recounted how a serving judge in one of the South-South states lost about N7.2 million to fraudsters in the middle of the night.

Olukayode said the judge contacted him around 1 a.m. after receiving a series of debit alerts and discovering that the account had been completely emptied. He said the money had been saved over six years to send the judge's child to school abroad.

According to him, the victim was awakened by the alerts before realising the extent of the loss. He presented the incident as a stark example of how cybercriminals are increasingly targeting not only ordinary citizens but also senior public officials.

What was the problem? She had just been scammed of the money she had been putting together for six years to send her child to school,

— Ola Olukayode, Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission

She said it was alerts that woke her up. She received debits at that time of the day. Was it that the bank was at work, or what could be going on? Before she knew it, she had been scammed of about N7.2 million.

— Ola Olukayode, Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission

EFCC intervention and recovery

Olukayode said the judge immediately sought his intervention after the fraud was discovered. He noted that the incident happened in a state where the EFCC had previously been restrained by a court order from investigating certain crimes.

He recounted an exchange in which the judge acknowledged the existence of the order but insisted that immediate action was necessary because of the scale of the loss.

The EFCC Chairman said the Commission responded promptly and recovered the full amount before the close of business on the same day. He said the episode showed how quickly financial crimes can affect victims and alter perceptions about enforcement.

Incidentally, it was the state where they got an order against the EFCC from investigating certain crimes.

And she said, 'My lord, I have an order, an injunction not to investigate financial crimes in that state.' She said, 'No, no, no! This is an exception. You must do something immediately.'

— Ola Olukayode, Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission

Before 6 p.m., we recovered the entire money for her,

— Ola Olukayode, Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission

When you become a direct victim, that is when you'll know that something has to be done,

— Ola Olukayode, Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission

Call for a broader response to cybercrime

Olukayode spoke at the public presentation of two books authored by retired High Court judge, Justice Alaba Omolaye-Ajileye. He used the occasion to argue that Nigeria's cybercrime problem now requires a unified response involving law enforcement agencies, citizens and the judiciary.

He said collective action was necessary if the country was to reduce the growing threat from internet fraudsters. He also expressed confidence that sustained institutional cooperation could help address the problem.

The EFCC Chairman further suggested that personal experience with fraud could deepen appreciation for the Commission's work and the importance of allowing it to carry out its mandate.

I am very sure that if an application comes before her, my lord, to stop the EFCC from carrying out its mandate, she will dismiss it because she has become a victim.

— Ola Olukayode, Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission

>> "Not until we, as Nigerians, come together and agree to face this challenge, law enforcement agencies playing their role, citizens doing their part, and the judiciary too doing its part, it is only then that we will be able to put this problem behind us. We can do it. Nigeria can do it, and we will do it and succeed." - Ola Olukayode, Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission

AI, evidence and legal reform

Olukayode also raised concerns about the use of artificial intelligence in criminal investigations. He said the EFCC has already started deploying AI tools but faces difficulties over how evidence generated through those tools can be made admissible under existing law.

Referring to Section 84 of the Evidence Act, he said current provisions do not adequately address the legal questions arising from the use of emerging technologies in investigations. He appealed to legislators, legal scholars and policymakers to examine the issue and produce new laws.

He described AI systems as capable of carrying out functions once reserved for humans, making legal adaptation more urgent as technology becomes more central to investigations.

>> "Now we have already started deploying the tools of AI in the investigation of crime. But what I am cracking my brain about is how do I generate evidence and make it admissible?

It is a bit difficult from what Section 84 of the Evidence Act provided for." - Ola Olukayode, Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission

I wish our legislators and professors of law will take time and come together to look at this area and come up with laws that will help us in the area of AI,

— Ola Olukayode, Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission

Book presentation and wider anti-corruption debate

The event also featured broader reflections on corruption, justice and accountability. Delivering the keynote address, former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Kanu Agabi, SAN, called on anti-graft agencies to intensify efforts to recover stolen Nigerian assets held abroad.

Agabi said the current generation would have failed if it did not bring back those funds. He also paid tribute to Justice Omolaye-Ajileye, describing him as a jurist who left the bench with an unblemished service record.

Former Chairman of the Body of Benchers, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, called for stricter enforcement of cybercrime laws, while the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr. Tosin Ajayi, said consistent convictions would deter offenders. The occasion featured the unveiling of Justice Omolaye-Ajileye's latest works, Electronic Evidence (Second Edition, with the Evidence Act, 2011) and A Compendium of Cases on Electronic Evidence (Volume II, 2020–2025), with serving and retired judicial officers, legal practitioners and scholars in attendance.

We have billions abroad. This generation would have failed if we do not bring back that money. That is what we must do now,

— Kanu Agabi, Former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice