The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) should devise methods of reorienting arrested, educated online fraudsters, better known as Yahoo Boys, to become information technology specialists.
This is according to a cyber-security specialist, Mr. Chidiebere Ihediwa, who believes this strategy is better than allowing them to languish in detention or undergo destructive dissolution.
Ihedinwa, also a renowned software developer, made the call on Wednesday during an award ceremony in his honour at the Police Officers Mess, GRA Ikeja, Lagos.
Ihediwa was honoured with a Star Award in Cyber-Security Development and Data Analysis in Nigeria by an online publication, Cornerstone.ng.
According to Ihediwa, knowledge can be categorised into two: positive and negative.
He explained that even though there were many educated young men among the cyber fraudsters, their inherent knowledge was at variance with the ideal positive knowledge needed for societal development.
The cybersecurity specialist pointed out that redirecting the knowledge of the “yahoo boys” to meaningful ventures would be of great advantage to the nation.
He thanked the management of Cornerstone.ng for bringing him into the limelight through the award.
In his welcome address, the representative of Cornerstone.ng, Mr. Chris Oji, said Ihediwa, who was among the nominees for the award late last year, was unavoidably absent at the occasion. Therefore, management chose to bestow the honour on him in the new year.
Oji said Ihediwa deserved the award rightfully, in view of his outstanding contributions to software development and information technology in Nigeria. (Leadership)