This archive report was first published on 20 November 2019.
November 20, 2019, marked a significant day for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Nigeria as they received intelligence about a convict who had allegedly orchestrated a Sh100 million scam while serving his sentence.
Hope Olusegun Aroke, a Nigerian convict serving 24 years for committing internet fraud, was arrested in 2012 and has been serving his sentence at the Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison in Lagos.
According to a statement by the EFCC, a preliminary investigation has found that Aroke still had access to the internet while in prison, raising questions about how he was able to continue his fraudulent activities.
The EFCC stated that Aroke was the 'arrow head of an intricate web of internet fraud schemes that traverse two continents' and had been able to use his access to the internet to continue his 'ignoble trade' from inside the prison.
During his time in prison, Aroke had been able to receive internet access and his phone, and had even been admitted to the Nigeria Police Hospital in Lagos for an 'undisclosed ailment', where he was able to leave the facility to stay in hotels, meet with his family, and attend social functions.
Using a fictitious name, Aroke had opened two bank accounts and bought a luxury car and homes, and had also been in possession of his wife's bank account token in prison, which he used to freely transfer funds.
The Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison is managed by the Nigerian Correctional Service, which has not yet commented on the case.
