A 12-year-old boy, Munachi Udochukwu, has revealed shocking details about how he ended up at an internet fraud training centre—popularly known as a “Yahoo School”—in Lagos, following his arrest by police.
According to Munachi, he lived with his parents in Anambra State until the death of his father, the family’s sole breadwinner.
The tragedy forced him to drop out of school, as his mother’s petty trade couldn’t sustain their needs. Seeking help, his mother reached out to a friend, who instead introduced her to a cybercrime gang recruiting young boys from the East.
Munachi told detectives from the Lagos State Criminal Investigations Department (SCID), Panti: “My mother believed this was a chance to change our lives. She thought I could become rich within a year and help the family. But to afford the cost—laptop, data, and other items—she sold the only land my father had left us.”
A few weeks later, Munachi said he traveled to Lagos with three other boys and was enrolled in a “Yahoo School” where they were trained to defraud unsuspecting people online.
“We were taught to target people on romance websites and lure them for money. Each of us had roles to play, and failure to perform came with beatings or starvation. Most of the money went to our trainers. We only got food, and those who graduated received a small cut from successful scams,” he added.
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Moshood Jimoh, confirmed the arrest of 10 individuals during a raid on the training centre located in the Iju area of Lagos. The facility was allegedly operated by Chibike Iheijika (23), Stanley Iheijika (22), Obiora Oyedibe (26), and Emmanuel Onedibe (25).
Other trainees identified include Okorie Henry, Otoh Chisom (20), Okeke Kwufrochukwu (26), Uchenna Obeji (26), and Chinedu Ukachukwu (23).
Speaking on behalf of the Commissioner, the command’s spokesperson, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, said the syndicate had been dismantled and that all suspects were transferred to SCID, Yaba, for further investigation and prosecution.
“Preliminary findings indicate that the suspects recruited their victims from Anambra and trained them to engage in internet fraud. The proceeds of their activities were taken by the ringleaders,” Hundeyin said.
Authorities also stated that efforts are underway to locate and apprehend those who sponsored the boys’ enrollment in the illegal operation, including the owner of the facility.
