By Onyeche Igwe
The EFCC on Friday, handed over 53 recovered vehicles and 180, 300 dollars to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) on behalf of the victims of financial crimes in Canada.
Ola Olukoyede, Chairman of the anti-graft agency handed over the recovered assets to the representatives of RCMP in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that RCMP was represented by Nasser Sadiou, its Regional Officer, and Mr Robert Aboumitiri, First Secretary, Deputy High Commission of Canada, Nigeria.
Okukoyede said the vehicles were stolen from Canada and tracked to various car stands in Nigeria.
He said that nine of the vehicles were tracked to a customs port, where they were awaiting clearance.
According to him, 164, 000 U.S. dollars was recovered for a Canadian, Elena Bogomas, in a romance scam, while 16, 300 U.S. dollars was also recovered for another Canadian, Sandra Butler.
He said one of the fraudsters used his proceeds to buy an estate and was later arrested, prosecuted and jailed, while the property was sold to recover the funds.
“It’s common knowledge that financial crimes have taken a new turn all across the globe.
“The people who perpetrate these crimes do it in such a way that we discover that their activities are quite borderless and barbaric,” he said.
According to him, they employ all kinds of means to ensure that they move across various jurisdictions.
“That’s why it has become very necessary and imperative for us to collaborate with our friends across the world. People share the same objective and mandate with us.
“What the EFCC is doing today is doing on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
“It is also demonstrating the fact that the President has given us the mandate to extend our hands to ensure that this particular problem is resolved and that is exactly what we are doing here today,” he said.
Olukoyede said the exercise was a demonstration of the EFCC’s commitment to inter-agency cooperation in the country.
He said it was also a demonstration of the fact that the Nigerian government does not tolerate financial crimes.
“Not only that, we are going to pursue it, because not only that, we will investigate, we will recover, we will prosecute and we will ensure that the victim is restituted.
“We have recovered money, financial assets, and also we have recovered vehicles on behalf of the victims in Canada.
“As a matter of fact, the 53 vehicles were recovered on behalf of the victims.
“In one instance, we had 164,000 U.S. dollars given to a Canadian victim known as Elena Bogomas.
“Also, we have here, which we will present to you today, another sum of 16,300 U.S. dollars stolen from another victim known as Sandra Butler,” he said.
Sadiou, in his remarks after the signing of documents for the transfer of the recovered assets, thanked the Government of Nigeria and the EFCC in the fight against corruption.
“I am really happy to be here. I feel like being home. I am very happy with the recovery and we appreciate the EFCC on the job they have done.
“It is a testimony of your professionalism and commitment in the combat against financial crimes.
“EFCC is one of the key partners in the fight against financial crimes in the world and West Africa in particular,” he said.
Aboumitiri in his remarks, lauded the partnership between the Canadian government and the Federal Government of Nigeria.
He said the partnership had been yielding positive results.
