Nigeria EFCC recovers N7.2 million stolen from judge’s account

The chairman of Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, said suspected internet fraudsters known as “Yahoo boys” drained more than ₦7.2 million from the bank account of a serving judge in the early hours of a recent morning. The judge reported multiple debit alerts around 1 a.m. and said the money had been saved over six years to fund her child’s education. Olukoyede told reporters that the EFCC moved swiftly and retrieved the entire amount before 6 p.m. the same day, stating, “Before 6 pm, we recovered the entire money for her.” He called for stronger collaboration among law‑enforcement agencies, the judiciary and citizens to combat cybercrime, and urged lawmakers to update Nigeria’s legal framework to permit the use of artificial‑intelligence evidence in court. The theft occurred in a state where the EFCC had previously been restricted by a court order from investigating certain financial crimes.