The Economic and Financial Crimes (EFCC) has arrested 92 suspects for alleged involvement in internet fraud in Benin, the capital of Edo State.
The suspects were arrested at various locations in the Edo State capital on Monday, September, 29, the spokesperson for the agency, Dele Oyewale said in a statement on Wednesday.
According to the statement, the suspects were arrested following information about their involvement in internet fraud.
He added that 11 vehicles and different makes of mobile devices were also recovered from the suspects by the EFCC operatives.
Oyewale’s statement read: “Operatives of the Benin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, have arrested 92 suspected internet fraudsters in Edo State.
They were arrested in a sting operation on Monday, September 29, 2025 at various locations within Benin City, Edo State.
Their arrest was based on credible intelligence about their suspected involvement in computer related crimes. All the lawful procedures of arrest were followed in the course of the arrest
Upon their arrest, 11 vehicles and mobile devices were recovered from them.
Preliminary investigations by the Commission linked the suspects with various forms of internet-related fraud
They will be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.
Meanwhile, the EFCC has also arraigned one Godslove Munachiso Obiwuru, a 26-year old Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, suspect before Justice M. T. Segun-Bello of the Federal High Court sitting in Independence Layout, Enugu State.
He was arraigned on a two-count charge bordering on money laundering.
Count one of the charge reads: “That you, Godslove Munachiso Obiwuru ‘M’ sometime in 2022 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, retained 0.042 Ethereum (digital currency) equivalent to $50 (Fifty United States Dollars) in a Binance wallet account with the address, which you know or reasonably ought to know, is a proceed of an unlawful act and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 20 (a) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022”.
He pleaded “not guilty” to the two counts. In view of his plea, counsel to the EFCC, Assistant Superintendent of the EFCC, ASE I A.Y Abdullahi prayed the court for a trial date and for the defendant to be remanded at the Correctional facility.
However, the defence counsel, Abel Anih, prayed the court for a short date to enable him file an application for bail before the court.
The matter was thereafter adjourned for hearing of bail application while the defendant was remanded at the EFCC custody.
The defendant was arrested on August 5, 2025, following a petition by the FBI alleging that the defendant was involved in auctioning a cryptocurrency account takeover scheme.
According to the petition, in November 2022, a Coinbase cryptocurrency belonging to a citizen of the United States of America was compromised, leading to the theft of 90,410.126 Gold Retriever Tokens (GLDN), worth approximately $307,394.00, at that time.
Further investigation by the FBI revealed that part of the stolen cryptocurrency funds were transferred to a Binance account belonging to the defendant.
However, preliminary investigations by operatives of the Special Task Force of the Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Commission, revealed that the defendant received cryptocurrency, allegedly stolen from two different victims.