The official Twitter account of Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), with 2.2 million followers, mysteriously disappeared from the platform this week. The disappearance comes on the heels of threats issued by suspected internet fraudsters, commonly known as “Yahoo Boys.”
Multiple checks on Wednesday revealed that the EFCC’s handle, @officialEFCC, was no longer accessible, displaying the message: “This account doesn’t exist.” The incident sparked concern, particularly following recent online threats from fraudsters who had vowed to retaliate against the anti-graft agency’s ongoing crackdown on cybercrime.
Dele Oyewale, the EFCC’s chief spokesman, confirmed that the account has been down for three days. He attributed the issue to a network problem, saying the agency’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) department was working to restore the account. “Our ICT department is working on it. They have been on it for almost three days now,” Oyewale told The Gazette on Wednesday night. “We are hoping it will come up again.”
The account’s disappearance followed threats of a “cyber war” issued by a group of suspected fraudsters on platforms like Reddit. These individuals, angered by the EFCC’s aggressive campaign against online fraud, accused the agency of extortion and vowed to disrupt its operations.
In recent months, the EFCC has intensified its efforts to combat internet fraud, with officers conducting raids on hotels and university hostels. While these efforts have garnered praise from anti-corruption advocates, the agency has faced criticism from rights groups for alleged abuses during the raids, particularly concerning the violation of suspects’ rights.
Earlier this year, EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede announced a ban on midnight raids after an incident at Obafemi Awolowo University drew widespread backlash. However, the ban has reportedly been disregarded, with agents resuming late-night operations under limited oversight.
While it remains unclear whether the disappearance of the EFCC’s Twitter account was caused by the cyber threats, speculation is rife. The issue could stem from an internal deactivation or a violation of Twitter’s policies, both of which have been cited as common reasons for such an error message.
As of Thursday morning, the EFCC’s main website and other social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram remained unaffected.
For now, the agency is focused on resolving the issue and regaining control of its social media presence, a key tool in its anti-fraud campaigns.
