The Director-General of the National Orientation Agency, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, has alleged that some politicians in Nigeria are collaborating with internet fraudsters—popularly known as Yahoo boys—to launder illicit funds and undermine the country’s financial system.
Speaking in Abuja at a national joint security press briefing, Issa-Onilu revealed that a “cordial relationship” exists between certain political elites and the fraudsters.
He said: “We must also acknowledge when people complain of EFCC going after Yahoo boys and things like that. People have not understood the nexus that exists between the Yahoo boys and people who are politically exposed using the Yahoo boys for money laundering. So when they go after Yahoo boys, it’s not just the Yahoo boys. They are important leads to actually prosecuting the people who are politically exposed.”
He reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to ongoing anti-money laundering reforms, aimed at strengthening financial integrity and enhancing Nigeria’s credibility on the global stage.
Issa-Onilu also outlined collaborative efforts by security and anti-corruption agencies to tackle a broad range of threats including drug abuse, arms proliferation, and irregular migration. According to him, the Nigeria Police Force conducted 326 operations, resulting in 2,109 arrests, the rescue of 175 kidnapped victims, the neutralisation of 78 terrorists, and the dismantling of six arms trafficking networks.
He disclosed that the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency carried out 1,572 raids and seized 2.9 million kilograms of narcotics. Additional recoveries included 520 kilograms of tramadol and 7.35 kilograms of methamphetamine.
On the issue of arms trafficking, Issa-Onilu reported that authorities recovered 12 AK-47 rifles, two general-purpose machine guns , and over 2,200 rounds of ammunition. He added that the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control intercepted 10 containers loaded with tramadol.
He further noted that Nigeria is leveraging international partnerships and local vigilance to disrupt human trafficking networks and irregular migration routes. The Nigerian Immigration Service, he said, is spearheading efforts in identity governance, with technical support from the United Nations and the Economic Community of West African States.
Calling on citizens to actively support national security efforts, Issa-Onilu described the safeguarding of public infrastructure and national assets as a “collective responsibility.”
