Arrest of Mompha and his Lebanese associate is a landmark achievement - EFCC boss

Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, has described the recent arrest of alleged internet fraudster, Ismaila Mustapha, also known as Mompha and his Lebanese accomplice, Hamza Koudeih, as a landmark achievement in the sustained fight against internet-related frauds and money laundering in the country. 

Magu said the arrest of Mompha and Hamza by operatives of the EFCC, bore testimony to the commitment of the Commission to the fight against internet-related frauds,. He added that “it is also a red alert to potential internet fraudsters.” 

Speaking during an interactive session with stakeholders at the Lagos Zonal office of the Commission on Thursday, Magu said actionable intelligence received from local and international law enforcement agencies had revealed that the suspects, alongside their collaborators, were high-valued targets in Organized Cyber Syndicate Network, OCSN.

The EFCC Chair also stated that the Commission had begun forensic analysis of the phones, documents and “strange” items recovered from both suspects. 

They will be charged to court accordingly as soon as investigation is concluded, he added. 

Magu also emphasized the fact that the Commission, prior to the arrests of both Mompha and Koudeih, had independently launched intensive investigative actions against the Internet fraudsters, popularly known as Yahoo Yahoo Boys, culminating in various strategic raids on their hideouts.

He further stated that the Commission had embarked on the raids even before the recently concluded collaborative operation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, tagged Operation Rewired- an international operation targeted at the Business Email Compromise, BEC, suspects across the world.