EFCC says the convicted persons are mostly youth who should support the commission to rid the nation of cybercrimes and other criminal activities associated with cyberspace.
Nigeria's anti-graft agency, EFCC, has succeeded in convicting 2,847 persons of cybercrime across the country as of October 2022.
The EFCC chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, disclosed this when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption on Thursday.
His appearance before the panel was to defend the agency's 2022/2023 budget.
The budget defence was held behind closed doors and Mr Bawa addressed journalists afterwards.
The convicted persons, he said, are mostly Nigerian youth who should support the commission to rid the nation of cybercrimes and other criminal activities associated with cyberspace.
While he said the activities of cybercriminals are tarnishing the image of the country in the global arena, Mr Bawa explained that it is the Commission's mandate to fight cybercrime, fight advance fee fraud and work in conformity with the law.
"I am pleading with them not to stop doing such things at this time of transition of the country in terms of elections, in terms of government efforts to see that the economy is back on track," Mr Bawa added.
EFCC operatives often raid hotels and other relaxation spots in different parts of the country in hunt for cybercrimes suspects also known as 'yahoo-yahoo' boys. And many times, they are paraded with items, including cars and laptops, seized from them.
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In 2021, the EFCC announced the total number of convictions to be 2,220 - the highest since its inception. And most of the cases often end up in convictions based on plea bargain arrangements.
Mr Bawa also hailed the Central Bank of Nigeria's plan to redesign some naira notes.
"We welcome the policy. It is a good thing that the country is designing its currency because how can you have an effective monetary policy when you don't have control over 85% of your currencies," he said. "Out there, people are holding it, people are using it to speculate on foreign currencies, and so coming out with this policy, the government is trying to contend with it."
He said with the new policy, the Commission will be able to monitor people holding currencies legitimately and illegitimately.
"I am sure that those people that are holding back this money whether legitimately or illegitimately, we will be able to monitor and the right cause of the law will take its course," he added.
On the 2023 election, he said the EFCC will work with the electoral umpire, INEC, to curb vote buying, especially during the elections.
Mr Bawa said the commission would partner with INEC to arrest and prosecute persons involved in vote buying and cases of offenders arrested for vote buying in previous elections were ongoing in court.
