By Onyewuchi Ojinnaka
The Enugu zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), on Thursday, presented a cheque valued at N67,523,000 as restitution to one Mr Emmanuel Onyekachukwu Onah, an Onitsha based trader in Anambra State.
The presentation of the cheque was in compliance with the ruling of the Federal High Court Enugu which ordered that the recovered money from scam suspects be given back to the scam victim.
Onah’s ordeal started sometime in 2019 when he transferred the sum of N75, 760,540.00 to the duo of Tega Esinone and Obiajulu Umeagukwu for onward transmission to his business partner, Crecedor Industrial Co. Ltd in Hong Kong.
Instead of transferring the fund, the suspects converted the money to their own use. After all, efforts to recover his money from the suspects failed, Onah petitioned the EFCC.
In the course of investigating the scam, the Commission initiated a non-conviction based forfeiture process which culminated in a December 1, 2020 ruling by Justice I.N Buba of the Federal High Court, Enugu ordering the forfeiture of the sum of N67, 522,831.55 in a new generation bank account belonging to Tega Esinone to the victim.
Presenting the cheques to the victim on Thursday, Head of the Enugu office, Oshodi Johnson, said the gesture demonstrates the Commission stance on justice for all.
“EFCC is for everybody and all that the EFCC stands for is justice. We will continue to work within its mandate to ensure that Nigeria becomes a nation that is corrupt free. We will not rest until this is achieved.”
He warned fraudsters of the Commission’s readiness to fish them out anywhere they are, advising that it would be better they repent from their nefarious activities because it was only a matter of time before the long arms of the law caught up with them.
Expressing his appreciation after receiving the cheques, Mr Onah thanked the Commission for helping to recover his money, stressing that he was grateful.
“Honestly, I am so overjoyed because today is a day of a smile. I came to you people in tears but today my heart is full of joy and my face is full of smiles. I am now a living testimony that the EFCC works and they can bring justice even to the common man”, excited Onah said.