The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, officially handed over €5,100 in fraud proceeds to the Spanish ambassador to Nigeria, Juan Sell, on Friday.
The amount was recovered from a Nigerian romance fraudster, targeting a Spanish victim, Heinz Uchtmann, through a collaborative effort between the EFCC and the Spanish Police.
In a statement issued by the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, Olukoyede emphasized the growing challenge posed by global financial crimes, stating,
“The resources controlled by criminals worldwide outstrip the wealth of the technology industry.” He highlighted the importance of international cooperation, noting, “The borderless nature of internet crimes has made collaboration and partnership among countries and law enforcement agencies essential.”
Olukoyede reaffirmed the EFCC’s dedication to ensuring Nigeria remains a hostile environment for corrupt and fraudulent individuals, saying, “It has become very imperative for us to understand that financial crimes have become a borderless crime.
Sometimes, you will discover that they operate from a different country and get their victims in another country, and the proceeds of crime go to a different country.”
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He added, “On our part, we are resolute to ensure that Nigeria is not made a safe haven for financial criminals and corrupt people. We do it to cleanse our system in collaboration with our partners across the world.
There must be mutual trust and mutual support for us to ensure that we cleanse the global financial ecosystem from being destroyed.”
In his remarks, Ambassador Sell praised the collaboration between the EFCC and the Spanish Police, stating, “Many times, you work on processes and you will never see the result of your endeavours, but what has made this special is the fact that we have seen the results of the efforts of the collaboration of two countries that are friends for the benefit of the citizens.
Indeed, this is a joyful moment for all of us: those who were involved in the investigation and those who supervised it and made it happen.”