Kogi Announces Anti‑Internet Fraud Initiative, Calls for School Anti‑Fraud Clubs

Kogi state government has launched an Anti-Internet Fraud Campaign and called for the creation of anti‑fraud clubs in schools.

The campaign aims to curb cybercrime and instill ethical values among young people. Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo announced the initiative at the flag‑off ceremony held at the Government House in Lokoja.

Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs. Folashade Ayoade Arike, the governor urged parents, schools, religious groups and community leaders to support the effort. She warned that a lack of moral guidance and the lure of quick wealth undermine societal values.

“The system is going bad and it is in our hands to correct it,” she said, advocating the establishment of anti‑fraud clubs in schools to raise student awareness.

Oluseyi Kelvin Eleta, Convener of the campaign and Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Fraud and Internet Matters, explained that the initiative seeks to protect Kogi State’s reputation and future. He emphasized that talent and intelligence become dangerous without integrity, urging youths to use digital platforms for innovation, entrepreneurship and investment instead of crime.

Speaking for the ICPC, Nathaniel Diton delivered a lecture titled “Internet Fraud and the Nigerian Youth: The Way Forward.” He identified pressure, opportunity and rationalization as key drivers of fraudulent behaviour and called on young people to pursue ethical livelihoods, warning against justifying corruption on ethnic or social grounds.

State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, said Kogi should not be defined by internet fraudsters, describing its people as intelligent, dynamic and hospitable. He blamed some parents for indirectly encouraging fraud by accepting expensive gifts from unemployed children without questioning their source. Fanwo also revealed that the state is developing innovation hubs to help youths channel digital skills into legitimate enterprises.

The Commissioner presented a donation of N100,000 to Great Onize Suleiman of GYB Model School for her outstanding presentation during the programme.

Commissioner for Science, Technology and Innovation, Mrs. Helen Adebirimibe, and Housing and Urban Development Commissioner Taiye Abanika urged parents to sacrifice for their children’s futures while encouraging youths to use the internet productively.

Students from GYB Model School and Faith Academy presented papers on the dangers of internet fraud to individuals, families and society.