Confusion As EFCC’s Twitter Account Disappears Amid Cyber Warfare Threats

The official Twitter account of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has mysteriously vanished from the social media platform, X (formerly Twitter), leaving many Nigerians bewildered.

This incident comes just days after self-identified “Yahoo Boys” threatened to launch a cyber-attack against the anti-graft agency.

Dele Oyewale, the EFCC’s main spokesperson, confirmed that the @officialEFCC handle has been inaccessible for the past three days. He attributed the issue to a technical glitch, assuring that the agency’s ICT department was actively working to restore the account.

“Our ICT department has been working on this issue for nearly three days now,” Mr. Oyewale told The Gazette on Wednesday night. “We are hopeful that it will be resolved soon.”

In a bid to verify the account’s status, GWG.ng searched for the EFCC’s official handle on X but found that it was indeed missing from the platform.

The disappearance of the EFCC’s Twitter account occurred shortly after a group of alleged internet fraudsters, often referred to as “Yahoo Boys,” threatened to attack the agency’s online presence. These threats, which surfaced on Reddit and other online forums, accused the EFCC of violating constitutional rights by cracking down on questionable online activities among Nigerians. Some commenters claimed they had been extorted by anti-graft investigators.

Recently, the EFCC has intensified its efforts to combat internet fraud, conducting raids on hotels and university dormitories in a bid to curb activities that, according to anti-corruption advocates, have damaged Nigeria’s reputation. However, the agency’s aggressive tactics have sparked criticism from human rights activists, who argue that these methods often infringe on individuals’ basic rights. This controversy escalated after a midnight raid at Obafemi Awolowo University led to widespread public outcry. Although EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede subsequently announced a moratorium on after-dark raids, the practice reportedly resumed shortly after.

As of Thursday morning, it remained unclear whether the EFCC’s Twitter account was deactivated by the agency itself or if it was removed by X due to a violation of the platform’s policies. Both scenarios were listed by X as possible reasons for the account’s disappearance. Meanwhile, the EFCC’s main website and other social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram were still active.

In a related development, cybersecurity expert Chidiebere Ihediwa has urged the EFCC to consider reorienting educated internet fraudsters, commonly known as “Yahoo Boys,” into information technology professionals. Ihediwa, a software developer, made this suggestion during an award ceremony held in his honor at the Police Officers Mess in Ikeja, Lagos, on Wednesday. He argued that rather than allowing these individuals to languish in detention, they could be rehabilitated and redirected toward positive contributions to society.

He explained that knowledge can be both positive and negative, noting that while many cyber fraudsters possess significant technical skills, their knowledge is currently being misused. By reorienting them, Ihediwa believes they could become valuable assets in Nigeria’s tech industry.
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