Ichie Sir Izuchukwu Nwabueze (Ichie Chinaemeze) The Chairman of Ukpo Ceremonies Committee and the Principal Secretary to His Royal Majesty Igwe Dr. Robert Eze (Okofia VI), The Traditional Ruler of Ukpo Kingdom in Dunukofia Local Government Area of Anambra State has charged Anambra youths to shun social vices and all forms of internet related crimes.*
Ichei Sir Nwabueze gave the charge when he received a delegation of National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) Nnewi North Chapter who paid him a courtesy visit in Ukpo, Dunukofia Local Government Area of Anambra State.
Ichie Sir Izuchukwu Nwachukwu, A renowned Accountant, business Consultant, philanthropist, and Chairman of Zone 13 Police Chaplaincy Stakeholders Forum advised the youths to shun all forms of vices.
According to the renowned Accountant, the estimated annual financial loss in Nigeria due to cybercrime was N250 billion ($649 million) in 2017 and N288 billion ($800 million) in 2018.
*Last year in USA, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) indicted 77 Nigerians in what was described at the time as the largest case of on-line fraud in US history.*
*Also arrested was Obinwanne Okeke of Nigeria’s Invictus Group who in 2016 was named by Forbes Magazine as one of the top 30 African entrepreneurs aged under 30. He is accused of becoming wealthy by stealing $11 million in one on-line scam alone.*
*In Dubai, Ramoni Igbalode known as “hushpuppi” was arrested for defrauding around two million people of approximately half a billion dollars.*
Ichie Izuchukwu Nwabueze (Ichie Chinaemeze) identified high rate of youth unemployment, the quest for quick wealth, negative peer influence among others as the cause of the high rate of cyber crime indulgence by the Nigerian Youths.
He opined that the government and private sector should create employments for these youths and set up IT laboratories/forum where these youths could come together and display their skills as this can be used meaningfully towards developing Information Technology in Nigeria as well as to keep them busy and away from the lure of cyber crime.
Ichie Sir Izuchukwu Nwabueze urged the Federal and State government of Nigeria to borrow a leaf from the Singaporean government anti cyber crime initiative.
He revealed that the Anti-Scam Centre, an initiative of the Singaporean Government was set up by the police in collaboration with three major banks in Singapore, the Anti-Scam Centre disrupts the operations of scammers by impeding fund transfers. In two months, the Anti-Scam Centre received 1,047 cases in which victims had lost a total of $2.4 million ($1.8 million).
The centre managed to freeze 815 bank accounts and recovered 35% of the amount lost, or about S$840,000 ($623,000) – which is significantly higher than the average recovery rates for these types of scams.
*He charged the youths to shun every vice that will dent the image of Nigeria. He urged them to imbibe the virtue of hard work and seek out mentors who have through dint of persistence and hard-work have made a name for themselves.*
