INTERPOL Report Tagging Nigeria Internet Scammers Baseless, Says Group

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The South-South Professional & Transparency Initiative (SSPTI), yesterday  faulted the recent viral video released by INTERPOL where individuals and groups in Nigeria were tagged the most active in internet fraud and human trafficking globally.

In a statement signed Dr. Ugochukwu Alozie and Kayode Ayomide, Chairman and Secretary respectively, the group insisted the report was false, baseless and unfounded.

Specifically, the body noted that by indicting a confraternity, which it said no longer exists, the report showed the desperation of INTERPOL to justify the huge sum of money allocated to it in the ongoing war against cyber crimes and human trafficking.

The group added that the issue of internet fraud should not be narrowed down to any group as it cuts across all races in the world.

SSPTI noted that the bias of the security outfit against Nigerians was clearly demonstrated in the report as it was targeted at damaging the image of the country, especially the Nigeria Police Force.

It further stated that after a thorough analysis of the said report, it had been established that INTERPOL based its findings on assumptions and street gossips, as it could not give a name or show the face of any member of the group that was arrested in connection to the crimes it purportedly lay claims to in the viral video.

The group urged the members of international community to disregard the said report, describing it as the figment of imagination of the  security organisation which it said could not substantiate its claim against the group it mentioned in the viral video released recently.

“The attention of the above named group has been drawn to the report of a viral video released by INTERPOL where it fingered Nigerians and members of Black Axe Confraternity (a non-existent group) as being responsible for the series of internet fraud and human trafficking recorded across the globe in recent time.

“After a careful analysis of the said viral video, we have come to realise that report was false, baseless and unfounded as it was hinged purely on assumptions and third party street gossips to discredit the nation.

“We want to urge everyone to discountenance the allegations made by the security outfit.

“We have every cause to believe that the report was fabricated out of desperation by INTERPOL to justify the huge allocation made available as security votes to prosecute the ongoing war against internet fraud and other violent crimes globally,” the group said.

It stressed that it was laughable that in the entire video where such an allegation against a confraternity that does no longer exist was made,  none of its members were paraded to have been arrested.

It added that rather they are using images of foreigners, mostly women as those arrested even outside the shores of our country.

“it is absurd for anyone to want to narrow down those perpetrating cyber crimes and other related offences to a particular nation and a group, knowing full well that it’s a global phenomenon involving all the races on the face of the universe and it is even worse off in advanced world as against the developing nations,” it concluded.