The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has handed over 53 vehicles and $180,300 stolen by fraudsters to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
The Chairman of the Commission, Ola Olukoyede made the revelation during the handover of the assets in Abuja.
He noted that out of the 180,300 US dollar, the sum of 164,000 US dollars was stolen from a Canadian woman, Elena Bogomas in a romance scam, while 16,300 us dollars was stolen from one Sandra Butler.
Olukoyede further stated that the recoveries are the result of the 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 have taken a couple of years and have resulted in a substantial recovery,” Olukoyede said.
“It is important for us to let our colleagues and friends from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police know that as an agency, the EFCC, and as a country, Nigeria is always ready to fight financial crimes. Nigeria should not necessarily be seen as a hub of financial crimes. It is a transit town, as are Canada and most countries across the world because people move from one jurisdiction to another.
“This is also a demonstration that the Nigerian government will never tolerate any act of financial crime.”
He added that, “In total, 53 vehicles were recovered on behalf of the victims. In one instance, $164,000 was taken from Elena, and $16,300 was also recovered. These will be handed over to the Canadian police to return to the victim channel.”
