The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has announced the release of $180,300 recovered funds to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
The commission also disclosed that 53 vehicles stolen from Canada, brought into Nigeria were recovered nationwide and handed over to the Canadian police.
INFORMATION NIGERIA reports that at the handover ceremony on Friday, Ola Olukoyode, the EFCC chairman, said that the recovered assets, which were stolen by wire fraud and romance scam, would be returned to the victims.
It was gathered that, out of the total sum, $164,000 was reportedly stolen from Elena Bogomas, a Canadian national, in a romance scam, while $16,300 was from one Sandra Butler.
The EFCC Chairman further noted that the event highlighted the importance of international cooperation in addressing financial and various other types of crime.
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He said: “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.
“It is important for us to let our colleagues and friends from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police know that Nigeria is always ready to fight financial crimes as an agency, the EFCC, and as a country.
“Nigeria should not necessarily be seen as a hub of financial crimes. It is a transit town, as are Canada and most countries worldwide because people move from one jurisdiction to another.
“The Nigerian government does not tolerate financial crimes. We will also pursue, investigate, recover, prosecute, and ensure that victims are restituted. That is what we are doing today.
“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 victims.”
