Harassing Youths Won’t Stop Cybercrime –GYASO Boss, Casmir Nguzoro Tells EFCC

By ThankGod Emeh, Owerri.

Cybercrime, or computer-oriented crime is one committed against individuals or groups of individuals with a criminal motive to intentionally harm the reputation of the victim or cause physical or mental harm, or loss, using telecommunication and mobile phones. This crime has been on the increase in Nigeria and on the news that exactly a week after operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibadan zonal office arrested 32 yahoo boys in Abeokuta, EFCC officials in South-east Zonal Office have arrested another 37 suspected internet fraudsters in Owerri.

EFCC zonal head in South-east, Usman Imam, said ”the arrest followed a raid on some targeted residences in Okwu Urata, Aladinma and Egbu areas after a tip-off that the suspects were living lavish lifestyles without any known means of livelihood.”

The ugly development have gotten the reactions of many corporate organizations, activists and concerned citizens, of whom is the National Coordinator of Give The Youths A Skill Organization, Comrade Casmir Nguzoro, who took it up on his social media platform to react to the incident in Owerri, Imo State.

According to him, he is not in support of cyber crime in any way, neither is he in support of harassing the youths of Imo State but of the view that Training and Investing in the Youths would change the anomaly.

Comrade Nguzoro who defined a criminal as one who indulges in fraud, scams, phishing as well as illegal and unlawful extortion and collection of people’s resources and funds with or without the use of gun decried the manner in which the operatives of EFCC harasses innocent youths in eateries, on the road describing it as uncalled for.

He said added that not everyone is a criminal, and the key criminals are in their various offices enjoying their AC while others are paying for their crimes.

In his words, “Yesterday, my colleague and I, went to zanders Fm to discuss again on the topic cyber crime in Nigeria. Cyber crime can be reduced to the barest minimum but can’t be stopped and going about harassing our youths with the help of sars, EFCC, etc, is very wrong and uncalled for.”

“EFCC, ICPC, SARS and the Nigerian Police, should go and train themselves or probably train our youths on cyber security and ethical hacking, then employ them, by so doing, you don’t need to harass someone before knowing that he or she is a cyber criminal because knowing the cause of a problem will help stop and cure the problem”, Nguzoro advised.

Comrade Nguzoro also disclosed that the rate of unemployment is on the increase in Imo and the country as a whole blamed the criminal mindset and activities of youths on the governments of the day adding that they have failed in their mandates to bring people’s desirable change.

Using Imo as a case study, said the existence of hotels in every nook and cranny in the state in place of factories, industries and companies is another factor of unemployment and criminality.

He said ” I was with one of my friend a graduate of computer science from one of the universities in India, and the technical officer of GIVE THE YOUTHS A SKILL ORGANIZATION, we decided to drive around town but shockingly we observed that owerri as a small city have close to 175 functioning hotels, 10 clubs and about 50 uncompleted hotels, but zero Tech or Manufacturing companies, but not more than 5 standard digital IT schools/academies”

“Tell me how will such a state succeed? How will a state be free of crime when it has more of ways to spend and lavish money than that of making money? With such kind of Condition, we will have more of crimes, because many youths will be trying to meet up by all means just to spend and lavish money in all these hotels and clubs”, the Comrade fumed.

Comrade Nguzoro advised that “If only Imo State Government and Its citizens will invest in ICT, DIGITAL skills, build more of Tech Companies and schools in owerri, train our youths and employ our youths that the of unemployment would drastically reduce.

He added that when technology and ICT hubs are put in place, Goggle, Facebook, Skype, Uber, and other international digital companies will relocate from Lagos down to owerri, because Lagos is congested and Owerri is far more conducive than Lagos and has many TECH companies and experts.

“Many companies will be coming down to Owerri to look for our youths and their skills. Crime will reduce and the Internally Generated Revenue of the state would increase as a result of taxes paid by these companies.”