A former media aide to former President Muhammadu Buhari has been slammed on social media for defending claims that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) only conducts night raids on fraudsters in the southern part of Nigeria.
Bashir Ahmad explained that each region of Nigeria had its own challenges and internet fraudsters were not operating in the northern region, which was why the EFCC had not conducted raids against these schemes in the country’s northern regions.
The former presidential aide remarked:
“We all know that the EFCC rarely conducts sting operations in the early hours of the morning in the North because internet fraudsters are not as prevalent there. Similarly, we rarely hear of the military mistakenly bombing communities in the South because bandits are not commonly found there.”
North vs South: How Nigerians reacted to EFCC’s activities
However, some Nigerians have taken to the comments section of Bashir’s post to lambaste the former presidential aide over his claims. Some of their reactions are listed below.
Fendi wrote:
“The most concentration of internet fraudsters you will see in any region are found in the north. The only difference is they don’t show off or live a flamboyant lifestyle. Minna in Niger state is the headquarters of internet fraud in Nigeria. I stand to be corrected. Regardless, that doesn’t permit agents to barge into houses like armed robbers.”
Primus commented:
“Dear readers, don’t let @BashirAhmaad Gaslight you. The absence of EFCC home raids in the North is not because of a high moral standard. The truth is that there is no way EFCC would be allowed to raid a Hausa man’s house. They will incur the Sharia penalty of peeping on married women.”
A A Beli said:
“Is internet fraud the only crime the EFCC is meant to address? It seems most northern people often defend their region when it comes to the rare operations conducted by the EFCC. This regional bias is one of Nigeria’s major challenges, as certain regions appear to be prioritized over others.”
Revi reacted:
“Thank goodness you are also shedding light on your region. Your region is being ravaged by banditry and terrorism. Bashir, if you channel the energy you are channelling to the Hamas matter, I’m very sure that so many people would be aware of the situation, and we can fix the issue.”
Abode tweeted:
“This contains nothing but the truth.”
Bashir Ahmad’s post on X is below:
