By Bayo Wahab
The EFCC had earlier warned owners of commercial properties against making their facilities available to fraudsters.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has announced its readiness to go after landlords who rent their houses to internet fraudsters better known as Yahoo boys.
The commission made this known while announcing its virtual townhall meeting, EFCC Connect to expand its reach and engagement with citizens.
As part of its efforts to provide answers and clarifications to issues, the agency announced on its Twitter page that it would hold a Twitter Space on Wednesday, June 28, 2022, at 6 pm to discuss the implications of renting properties to criminals.
The EFCC said the topic; ‘Give your house to Yahoo boys, spend 15 years in jail’, would be discussed by its Legal and Prosecution Officers Sylvanus Tahir and Cosmos Ugwu.
EFCC CONNECT:
Be part of this interesting conversation as we discuss the implications of having your property in use by criminals, on the next edition of #EFCCConnect.
Date: Wednesday June 29
Time: 6pm#TowardsABetterNigeria#SayNoToCorruption pic.twitter.com/rs9rW5yfxW— EFCC Nigeria (@officialEFCC) June 27, 2022
The commission had earlier warned owners of commercial properties against making their facilities available to fraudsters.
Recall that earlier in June, the chairman of the commission, Abdulrasheed Bawa met with hotel owners in Ilorin, Kwara state.
The anti-graft agency complained about what it described as a “cold complicity by hospitality entrepreneurs”.
The agency’s Zonal Commander, Michael Nzekwe had also accused some hoteliers of working with suspected fraudsters by housing them over a long period and making internet facilities available.
According to him, such an act negates Section 3 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.
“The section provides for a prison term of between five and 15 years without option of fine for any person who permits his premises to be used for any offence under the Act,” he said.
On the argument that hoteliers are business people and cannot determine who a fraudster is, Nzekwe said the law doesn’t recognise such a position.