The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, will arraign 93 suspected internet fraudsters arrested at a hotel within the precincts of Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) today, Friday, August 15, 2025.
At least 23 of the suspects will appear before Justice Deinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court, in Ikoyi, Lagos.
A statement by the EFCC’s head of media and publicity, Dele Oyewale, confirmed that almost all the suspects arrested have been indicted for alleged offences bordering on impersonation, identity, and internet fraud.
The EFCC explained that the arraignment of the suspects is scheduled to be in batches, coming after their profiling by the Commission.
The suspects were arrested at a pool party where they were celebrating.
An intelligence report by the anti-corruption agency stated that the party was initially planned to hold in two locations, but was shifted to the hotel in OOPL to escape possible arrest by operatives of the commission.
The agency said the planners got wind of the commission’s intelligence and scampered to the OOPL, expecting a sort of covering from arrest.
The statement said, “The former president’s facility was not a target of EFCC’s operations. The suspects were the targets and have confessed to their involvement in internet crimes.
“The arraignment of the remaining suspects is expected to follow shortly.”
Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.
Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.
He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.
Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).
He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.
He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.
Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled: Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.
