Ex-Buhari Aide Mentions Alleged Reason EFCC Doesn't Arrest 'Yahoo Boys' in North, Sparks Criticism

Ex-Buhari Aide Mentions Alleged Reason EFCC Doesn't Arrest 'Yahoo Boys' in North, Sparks Criticism

  • Former President Muhammadu Buhari's ex-aide has been criticised for alleging why the EFCC conducts night raids in south Nigeria and not the north
  • Bashir Ahmad claimed that all regions in Nigeria have their peculiar challenges and internet fraud was not as popular in the north as it was in the south
  • However, Ahmad's attempted explanation did not sit well with some Nigerians who took to the comments section to blast the former presidential aide

A former media aide to former President Muhammadu Buhari has been slammed on social media for defending claims that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) only conducts night raids on fraudsters in the southern part of Nigeria.

Bashir Ahmad explained that each region of Nigeria had its own challenges and internet fraudsters were not operating in the northern region, which was why the EFCC had not conducted raids against these schemes in the country's northern regions.

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Bashir Ahmad, a former media aide to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, has explained why the EFCC don't go after Yahoo boys in the northern region
Former Presidential media aide Bashir Ahmad attracts criticism for defending the EFCC's activities in Southern Nigeria. Photo Credit: @officialEFCC
Source: Twitter

The former presidential aide remarked:

"We all know that the EFCC rarely conducts sting operations in the early hours of the morning in the North because internet fraudsters are not as prevalent there. Similarly, we rarely hear of the military mistakenly bombing communities in the South because bandits are not commonly found there."

North vs South: How Nigerians reacted to EFCC's activities

However, some Nigerians have taken to the comments section of Bashir's post to lambaste the former presidential aide over his claims. Some of their reactions are listed below.

Fendi wrote:

"The most concentration of internet fraudsters you will see in any region are found in the north. The only difference is they don’t show off or live a flamboyant lifestyle. Minna in Niger state is the headquarters of internet fraud in Nigeria. I stand to be corrected. Regardless, that doesn’t permit agents to barge into houses like armed robbers."

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Primus commented:

"Dear readers, don't let @BashirAhmaad Gaslight you. The absence of EFCC home raids in the North is not because of a high moral standard. The truth is that there is no way EFCC would be allowed to raid a Hausa man's house. They will incur the Sharia penalty of peeping on married women."

A A Beli said:

"Is internet fraud the only crime the EFCC is meant to address? It seems most northern people often defend their region when it comes to the rare operations conducted by the EFCC. This regional bias is one of Nigeria's major challenges, as certain regions appear to be prioritized over others."

Revi reacted:

"Thank goodness you are also shedding light on your region. Your region is being ravaged by banditry and terrorism. Bashir, if you channel the energy you are channelling to the Hamas matter, I’m very sure that so many people would be aware of the situation, and we can fix the issue."

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Abode tweeted:

"This contains nothing but the truth."

Bashir Ahmad's post on X is below:

EFCC invites Okoya's sons over video

Legit.ng also previously reported that the EFCC had invited the two sons of Nigerian billionaire industrialist Razaq Okoya.

Siblings Subomi and Wahab were invited to speak to the commission in connection with a viral video involving the naira.

Michael Wetkas, the acting director of the EFCC, said the brothers had been asked to report in over alleged currency abuse.

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Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
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Bada Yusuf (Politics and Current Affairs Editor) Yusuf Amoo Bada is an accomplished writer with 7 years of experience in journalism and writing, he is also politics and current affairs editor with Legit.ng. He holds B.A in Literature from OAU, and Diploma in Mass Comm. He has obtained certificates in Google's Advance Digital Reporting, News Lab workshop. He previously worked as an Editor with OperaNews. Legit’s Best Editor of the Year for Politics and Current Affairs Desk (2023). Contact: bada.yusuf.amoo@corp.legit.ng