The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, handed over €5,100 in proceeds of crime to the Spanish ambassador to Nigeria, Juan Sell, on Friday.
This amount was recovered from a Nigerian romance fraudster on behalf of a Spanish victim, Heinz Uchtmann, through collaboration between the EFCC and the Spanish Police.
In a statement issued by Dele Oyewale, the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Olukoyede highlighted the alarming scale of resources controlled by criminals globally, which he noted exceed the wealth of the technology industry.
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He emphasized the need for international collaboration in tackling the borderless nature of internet crimes.
“The resources controlled by criminals worldwide outstrip the wealth of the technology industry,” Olukoyede stated.
“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.”
He reaffirmed the EFCC’s commitment to ensuring that Nigeria does not become a safe haven for financial criminals and corrupt individuals.
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“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,” he added.
Olukoyede further stressed the importance of mutual trust and support between countries to cleanse the global financial ecosystem, stating, “In the interest of both countries, we must do what we have to do. There must be mutual trust, mutual support for us to ensure that we cleanse the global financial ecosystem from being destroyed.”
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In his remarks, Ambassador Sell praised the collaboration between the EFCC and the Spanish Police, saying, “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.”
