The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says it plans to prosecute 19 of the 21 people its operatives arrested during an investigation into alleged internet fraud at Applewood Estate, Orchid Road, Lekki, Lagos.
The commission said it released the other two after preliminary investigations. Officers from its Lagos Directorate 1 conducted the operation at about 5am on Monday, 26 October 2026.
EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale provided the update in a statement issued on Tuesday, 27 October. The statement reproduced by Press Release Naija said investigators had implicated 19 suspects and intended to arraign them.
According to the commission, the investigation concerned people who allegedly assumed other individuals’ identities to obtain money from victims. It identified gift cards, cryptocurrency transactions and international money transfers as channels through which the suspected offences occurred.
Oyewale said officers monitored the suspects’ activities before entering the estate. The commission attributed the arrests to surveillance and reconnaissance undertaken ahead of the operation.
Peoples Gazette’s account of the announcement quoted the agency as saying: “The operation, carried out by 5:00 a.m., yielded the arrest of 21 suspected cybercrime fraudsters and five exotic cars,” the EFCC stated.
The commission also addressed its officers’ treatment of a young woman during the raid. It alleged that she made telephone calls intended to alert the suspects while the operation was underway.
Officers held the woman and took possession of her phone until they concluded the operation, according to the statement. The EFCC said they subsequently returned the device to her.
The agency’s account emerged amid scrutiny of the operation. Arise News reported that videos circulated on social media on Monday, prompting reactions from residents and other members of the public.
Defending its officers’ conduct, the EFCC maintained that they acted professionally. It denied harassment, intimidation and unlawful arrests, while stating that it remained willing to engage with members of the public.
“The sting operation at Applewood Estate was professionally carried out, with no record of harassment, intimidation or unlawful arrest of anyone. The commission is open to constructive engagement by well-meaning Nigerians, but blackmailers and alarmists will not be allowed to sabotage its mandate,” said EFCC.
Oyewale also appealed for public support for the commission’s investigations into economic and financial crimes.
The statement did not identify the suspects, state how much money victims allegedly lost or specify a court date for the proposed arraignment. It also provided no valuation for the five recovered cars.