Nation
Police discover ‘yahoo’ school in Lagos
The Lagos State Police Command said it has unearthed a building in the Iju area of Lagos State, used for internet fraud training..
Widely called “Yahoo School’, the command noted that four Yahoo experts who had been managing the school were taken into custody together with six trainees who were undergoing intensive coaching in cybercrime and fraud during the operation.
Nine of the suspects were reportedly between ages 20 and 26, while the tenth, a trainee, is 12 years old.
In view of this development, the command has asked owner of the facility to turn himself in for investigation.
Preliminary investigations according to the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hudenyin, showed that the key suspects of the facility recruited their trainees from Anambra State and engaged them to commit internet fraud and other related crimes.
He stated that the proceeds from their fraudulent activities were confiscated by the principal suspects.
Hudenyin said: “All suspects have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID Yaba, for further discreet investigation and prosecution.
“Efforts are ongoing to apprehend the sponsors who financed the trainees’ enrollment in the school as well as the owner of the facility where these criminal and illegal activities took place. The owner of the facility is hereby warned in his own interest to turn himself in immediately, at the SCID Panti from wherever he is hiding.The Lagos State Police Command will ensure that all suspects are charged to court for prosecution upon the conclusion of the investigation into the case”
He noted that ” In line with due process of the law, the underage suspect among them, Minachi Ugochukwu, 12 years old, with healing marks of injuries on his body allegedly inflicted on him by the main principal suspect to compel him into the commission of the criminal acts, is being given medical attention and kept in protective custody till his relatives are identified and reunited with him”
He therefore implored parents and guardians to keep watch over the activities of their children and wards , with a view to preventing them from being ” exploited, lured, or compelled into criminal activities”.
Furthermore, Hudenyin called on members of the public who had fallen victim to the fraudulent activities of the syndicate to visit the SCID, Yaba, with their complaints.
“The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Olohundare Jimoh, also commends the police personnel involved in this operation for their dedication and professionalism that resulted in this success.