Olukayode

By Chibuike Nwabuko

ABUJA – The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,(EFCC), Ola Olukoyede on Friday, September 6, 2024 handed over to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) the sum of $180,300 and 53 vehicles,  being assets recovered for Canadian victims of Nigerian fraudsters.

One Hundred and Sixty-four Thousand US Dollars ($164,000) of the recovered cash assets belong to a victim, identified as Elena Bogomas  while  $16,300 (Sixteen Thousand, Three Hundred US Dollar) belong to another victim known as Sandra Butler. The recovered 53 vehicles were stolen over a period of time in Canada, freighted to Nigeria and distributed to multiple locations in Nigeria by the criminal elements.

Representing the RCMP in the hand over ceremony which was performed at the Chairman’s Conference Room, EFCC corporate headquarters, Jabi, Abuja were Robert Aboumitri, First Secretary, Deputy High Commission of Canada  and  Nasser Salihou, Liason Officer and Programme  Manager, RCMP.

Olukoyede who was elated by the successes of EFCC’s collaborations with the RCMP noted that the efforts that led to the recoveries and the hand over ceremony spoke strongly to the fact that the Nigerian government was intolerant of fraud and corruption.

“We are here today to witness the handing over of assets recovered on behalf of the Canadian victims of cybercrime. What the EFCC is doing today is on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria. This is to demonstrate that the government of Nigeria will never and for whatever reason  tolerate any act of financial crime. It is a demonstration of the fact that President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed has given us the mandate to extend our hands of fellowship and collaboration with you to ensure that this particular problem is resolved. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, RCMP has been collaborating with us and that commitment has resulted in a lot of recoveries.

“The operation took a couple of years and eventually it resulted in substantial recoveries. So we deem it necessary to let our colleagues and our friends from the Canadian Royal Mounted Police know that as an agency, EFCC, and as a country, we are always ready to fight financial crimes. Nigeria is not, shouldn’t necessarily be seen as a hub, it’s a transit camp, the way Canada is a transit  camp and most countries across the world because they move from one jurisdiction to another,” he said.

The EFCC boss noted that the fluid and intricate nature of transnational crimes and the challenges they pose have made synergy and collaboration among law enforcement agencies more compelling. “It is common knowledge that financial crimes have taken a new turn all across the globe and have become a global problem. What affects one country in a matter of time ends up affecting several other countries. The people who perpetrate these crimes do it in such a way that their activities are borderless and boundless and they employ all kinds of means, tactics while moving across various jurisdictions.

“That is why it has become very necessary and imperative for us to collaborate with all our friends across the world, that is, people who share the same objectives and mandate with us. Most of the countries across the world are collaborating with us in the area of fighting financial crimes. We investigate, pursue, recover, prosecute and ensure that victims of fraud are restituted,” he said.

Salihou in his remarks expressed appreciation and averred that the success of the EFCC’s endeavor testified to the Commission’s diligence and professionalism.

“I would like to on behalf of the RCMP extend our warm greeting and thank you for all the work that has been done and I am pretty sure the victims will hear and they will say the same. This is a testimony of your professionalism and your commitment to combat crime. I would not conclude my statement without thanking the government of Nigeria as well. With your permission Mr. Chairman, all other countries will be jealous of you. This shows that you are our key partner in West Africa in combating crimes. So thank you very much. We value this partnership and we will like to take it to the highest level possible,” he said.

Aboumitri who shared similar joy revealed that the need to confront borderless crimes was the primary motivation of the Canadian government to establish the RCMP in Nigeria. “The RCMP decided to open an office in Nigeria in September 2021 because there was a recognition that while we are bound by jurisdictions, criminals are not and in order for us to fight crimes we need to actually go beyond jurisdiction and this is why we are here. And we have found out that in Nigeria one of our best partners is, has been and hoping it will continue to be is the EFCC. We never knocked EFCC’s door without them answering. It has been a great partnership and the culmination of the partnership is the result that we are seeing. We would like to thank you. We would like to thank the government of Nigeria and I will be amiss if I don’t thank the people we work with everyday in your team in Lagos”, he said.