The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has handed over 53 vehicles and $180,300 stolen by fraudsters to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. These assets were stolen from Canadian citizens.
EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede made this announcement during the handover ceremony in Abuja. He explained that $164,000 of the recovered funds was stolen from a Canadian woman, Elena Bogomas, through a romance scam, while $16,300 was taken from another victim, Sandra Butler.
Olukoyede emphasized that these recoveries are a result of strong inter-agency cooperation between Nigeria and other countries in the fight against corruption.
“We are here today to witness the handover of assets recovered on behalf of Canadian victims of cybercrime. The operations took several years and led to significant recoveries,” Olukoyede said. He also stressed that Nigeria is committed to combating financial crimes and should not be viewed solely as a hub for such activities, as these crimes are global and often cross borders.
“This handover is a demonstration that the Nigerian government will not tolerate any form of financial crime,” he added.
The EFCC Chairman vowed to continue investigating, prosecuting, and recovering assets for victims of financial crimes worldwide.