The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has returned $130,000 and N70 million recovered from fraudsters to foreign fraud victims through the American, Spanish, and Swiss embassies in Nigeria. It also returned vehicles and real estate properties to some of the victims.
The anti-graft agency disclosed this on its official X handle on Friday. The EFCC chairperson Ola Olukoyede returned the money and properties to the victims through their embassies at the EFCC’s headquarters in Abuja.
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Mr Olukoyede said, “We don’t just recover, we restitute the victims…It is important to know that once the proceeds of crime are recovered, the most responsible thing to do is to restitute the victims,” Mr Olujoyede said.
Breakdown of the items returned
The EFCC handed $1,300 and N30 million to the acting Ambassador of Spain, Maria Velasco, for onward transfer to a victim Maria San Jose.
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Similarly, the Senior Political Officer, First Secretary of Switzerland, Florent Geel, accepted over $100,000 on behalf of Chantai Lavancy, a victim.
Legal Attache, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Embassy of the United States, Charles Smith, accepted funds and properties on behalf of American citizens who were victims of financial crimes.
Mr Smith received $7,344, Bitcoin cryptocurrency valued at $4,470, Mercedes Benz E550 4Matic Chasis No: WDDHF9AB6AA111112, Mercedes Benz C450 AMG with Chasis No: WDD20J0641F282467, and one residential bungalow, located at 17/19 Seaman Street, Unguwar Maigero, Kaduna, Kaduna State for Maria Brockell.
He also accepted $7,527, $11,710 and over N30 million on behalf of Micheal Smith, Cheryle Williams and Marva Marrow respectively.
EFCC lauded
The representatives of the United States, Spainish and Swiss embassies lauded the EFCC’s effectiveness and international collaboration.
Mr Smith described the commission as a significant global player that deserves recognition.
He said, “As the FBI Legal Attache and the representative of the US government I want to say we personally appreciate this. Many here may not understand what the impact this does to the victims. This gives them complete closure and it allows them to feel whole again. So we really do appreciate and we thank the EFCC. The EFCC is just not operating in Nigeria. The EFCC is a major global contender and you should recognize that every time.”
Meanwhile, the Permanent Secretary of Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ministry, Umar Ahmed, acknowledged EFCC’s efforts, noting that restitution enhanced Nigeria’s credibility on the global scene.
He said it would also serve as a way of restoring the confidence of investors in the country.
Not the first time
This is not the first time the EFCC has recovered returned proceeds of crime to local and foreign victims.
The commission announced in September 2024 the return of €5,100 to a Spanish, Heinz Burchard Einhaus Uchtmann who was swindled. The funds were returned to the Spanish Ambassador to Nigeria, Juan Sell.
PREMIUM TIMES reported how EFCC handed over $180,300 and 53 vehicles recovered from fraudsters who swindled Canadian victims to the Canadian authorities.
A representative of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Nasser Salihou, received the assets on behalf of Elena Bogoma and Sandra Butler.
Similarly, in January, EFCC returned over four land title documents recovered from a criminal syndicate to their rightful owners worth N1 billion.
According to the EFCC’s chief, Mr Olukoyede, the documents were falsified by a network of land fraudsters operating in Abuja.
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