The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, 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.
While handing over the vehicles, Okukoyede said they were stolen from Canada and tracked to various car stands in Nigeria, adding that nine of the vehicles were tracked to a customs port, where they were awaiting clearance.
He added that 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 from another Canadian, Sandra Butler.
According to him, 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, saying they employ all kinds of means to ensure that they move across various jurisdictions.
“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.
“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 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.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police was represented by Nasser Sadiou, its Regional Officer, and Mr Robert Aboumitiri, First Secretary, Deputy High Commission of Canada, Nigeria.
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.
On his part, Aboumitiri lauded the partnership between the Canadian government and the Federal Government of Nigeria, saying that the partnership had been yielding positive results.
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There’s something strange here, EFCC could hand over stolen cars and money to Canada but those stolen here in Nigeria can’t be recovered. What’s wrong with the people managing this country. There are prominent politicians who every body knows that they have looted the treasury of about hundred and thousands of billion naira and they are roaming freely on state capitals in this country and our justice system is not doing anything to incarcerate them. Cars are missing in this country and owners will never recover them. It’s a shame that Nigeria has gone so backwards and pitiful
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