Oluwafunbi Bello 
ABUJA, Nigeria – Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency returns $225,895 and ₦62.79 million to foreign fraud victims, reinforcing international cooperation against financial crime.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) hands over the recovered funds Friday in Abuja to victims from the United States and South Africa.
The restitution ceremony is presided over by EFCC Secretary Mohammed Hammajoda, according to commission spokesperson Dele Oyewale.
“Corruption is like a cancer that eats into every fabric of our lives. It has no borders, and if we do not fight it together, it will consume us all,” Hammajoda says.
Representing the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is Assistant Law Enforcement Attaché Mike Fukuda, while South Africa’s Acting High Commissioner to Nigeria Lindi Mminele attends alongside legal counsel Elisha Sunday.
The EFCC returns $7,440 to American fraud victim Drago Boskovic.
Another victim, Anh Ngoc Nguyen, along with three others identified under Holly Ngo, receives $175,895 and ₦62.79 million.
South African company Ennis-Flint Africa Limited recovers $50,000 through its representatives.
Hammajoda emphasises that the EFCC’s asset recovery policy prioritises returning recovered funds to rightful owners.
“Whatever we recover, we return to the victims, whether individuals, corporate organisations, governments or international victims,” he says.
South Africa’s envoy praises the commission’s work.
“South Africa has witnessed that what the Commission is doing is real,” Mminele says.
Officials describe the restitution as a strong signal that Nigeria is committed to combating cross-border financial crime and protecting fraud victims worldwide.
About the Author
Oluwatobi Adu 
Koko Maxwella 
Edino Chubiyo Cornelius