NANS Attacks EFCC Boss Olukoyede On Allegation 60% Students Are Cyber Criminals
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has attacked the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, who alleged six out of 10 university students in Nigeria were into cybercrime or “yahoo yahoo”.
Olukoyede made the remark on Tuesday at the opening of the 8th biennial conference of the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities in Nigeria (COPSUN), held in Kano.
However, a statement issued by NANS’ Senate President, Usman Adamu Nagwaza, on Tuesday, April 28, described the claim as misleading and damaging to the image of Nigerian students both within and outside the country.
NANS refered to the allegation as a “fallacious and unfortunate assertion” and warned that such generalisations risk painting students in a negative light.
The students body said that such comments could erode trust in the education system and unfairly stigmatise young people, lamenting that the anti-graft agency appears to be placing more focus on cyber-related offences while allegedly giving less attention to corruption cases involving political figures.
The association insisted that Nigerian students are largely law-abiding and focusing on their academic and personal growth.
“Nigerian students are not defined by criminality. We are individuals striving to acquire knowledge, build capacity, and contribute meaningfully to national development,” the statement by NANS partly read.
NANS called on the EFCC chairman, Ola Olukoyede to retract the statement, saying it is necessary in the interest of fairness and national integrity.
It warned that such remarks could harm the reputation of Nigerian students and weaken public confidence in higher education, while reiterating its support for the fight against financial crimes.
The student body stressed the need for accuracy, balance, and responsibility in public communication by government agencies.
“My research in the last one year has shown that about six out of 10 students in our universities are into cybercrime. It is a very disturbing situation,” the EFCC Chairman had said.
He blamed the trend on what he described as deep-seated structural problems within the university system, including weak oversight and poor accountability mechanisms.
