The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has disagreed with the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, over recent cybercrime allegations—commonly referred to as “Yahoo Yahoo”—levelled against students of tertiary institutions in the country.
NANS rejected his claims via a statement issued by its Senate President, Usman Adamu Nagwaza, on Tuesday.
Nagwaza was reacting to remarks the EFCC boss made recently at the opening of the 8th biennial conference of the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities in Nigeria (COPSUN), held in Kano.
According to Olukoyede, findings from recent EFCC field operations showed a troubling level of involvement in internet fraud among undergraduates.
“My research in the last one year has shown that about six out of 10 students in our universities are into cybercrime. It is a very disturbing situation,” he said.
He went on to blame the trend on what he described as deep-seated structural problems within the university system, including weak oversight and poor accountability mechanisms.
Reacting to the allegations, Nagwaza described the claims as misleading and damaging to the image of Nigerian students both within and outside the country.
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NANS lamented that the assertion was unfounded and did not reflect the reality of students across Nigerian universities, expressing concern over what it called a “fallacious and unfortunate assertion.” The statement warned that such generalisations risk painting students in a negative light.
While the student body supports efforts to tackle financial crimes, it noted that it is wrong for public officials to make broad statements suggesting that the majority of students are involved in illegal activities.
It explained that such comments could erode trust in the education system and unfairly stigmatise young people, lamenting that the anti-graft agency appears to be focusing more on cyber-related offences while allegedly giving less attention to corruption cases involving political figures.
The association insisted that Nigerian students are largely law-abiding and focused on their academic and personal growth.
According to the statement: “Nigerian students are not defined by criminality. We are individuals striving to acquire knowledge, build capacity, and contribute meaningfully to national development.”
Nagwaza also called on the EFCC Chairman to retract the statement, saying it is necessary in the interest of fairness and national integrity.
The body warned that such remarks could harm the reputation of Nigerian students and weaken public confidence in higher education, while reiterating its support for the fight against financial crime.
NANS stressed the need for accuracy, balance, and responsibility in public communication by government agencies.