Six out of every 10 students in Nigerian Universities are involved in cybercrime, the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Olanipekun Olukoyede, declared on Wednesday, describing the situation as deeply troubling and a threat to national security.

Olukoyede disclosed at the 8th Biennial Conference of the Committee of Pro Chancellors of State Owned Universities in Nigeria, held in Kano State, where stakeholders convened under the theme "Unlocking the Potentials of Artificial Intelligence: University Governance, Internationalisation and Rankings."

"My research in the last year has shown that about six out of 10 students in our universities are into cybercrime. It is a very disturbing situation," he stated.

The EFCC chair revealed that many suspects arrested in recent operations were undergraduates, with some allegedly placing lecturers on their payroll to compromise academic standards. He linked the trend to weak institutional oversight and administrative vulnerabilities within university systems.

Olukoyede cited a Lagos operation in which 792 suspects connected to a transnational cybercrime syndicate were arrested, noting that a significant number were students. He disclosed that artificial intelligence tools powered the operation, exposing the scale and sophistication of fraud networks operating within and outside Nigeria.

He also raised alarm over the growing trend of Yahoo Plus, where internet fraud is combined with fetish practices, describing it as a dangerous evolution of cybercrime that demands urgent attention from university authorities.

"A University that lacks financial accountability cannot credibly train future professionals. The integrity of our universities is a matter of national security," he warned.

Olukoyede urged Pro Chancellors to adopt AI driven governance systems to strengthen transparency, detect fraud, and improve financial accountability. He noted that many Universities still depend on manual processes, leaving them exposed to ghost workers, inflated contracts, and diversion of funds.

He further called for investment in cybersecurity, machine learning, and digital infrastructure including broadband connectivity and cloud based platforms, while stressing that AI must complement human oversight and operate within existing legal frameworks covering data protection and procurement.

Stronger collaboration between universities, regulatory bodies, and anticorruption agencies, he added, remains essential to tackling emerging threats in the digital space.