The restitution was carried out on Friday by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency, during a ceremony in Abuja attended by foreign diplomats and law enforcement officials.
In total, the commission handed over $225,895 alongside ₦62,790,000, which converts to roughly $45,200 using recent exchange rates, bringing the overall restitution to about $271,000.
The event was presided over by the EFCC’s Secretary, Mohammed Hammajoda, and witnessed by representatives from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the government of South Africa.
Hammajoda said the restitution reflected the agency’s commitment to returning recovered criminal proceeds to their rightful owners, stressing that financial crimes increasingly operate across borders and require coordinated international responses.
“Corruption is like a cancer that eats into every fabric of our lives,” he said, adding that the global nature of fraud means governments and enforcement agencies must work together to combat it.
US and South African representatives receive recovered funds
According to the EFCC, a portion of the recovered funds was returned to several victims in the United States. FBI Assistant Law Enforcement Attaché Mike Fukuda received $7,440 on behalf of American victims, including individuals identified as Drago Boskovic and Anh Ngoc Nguyen. Another major portion, $175,895 and ₦62,790,000, was returned to the victim, Holly Ngo, and others affected by the fraud.
Separately, $50,000 was handed over to representatives of Ennis-Flint Africa Limited, a South African company that had been defrauded in a cross-border scheme.
Hammajoda said the EFCC expects reciprocal cooperation from international partners when Nigeria seeks assistance in recovering stolen assets abroad.
“Whatever we recover, we return to the victims, whether individuals, corporate organisations, governments, or international victims,” he said. “We also expect the same gesture from our sister agencies and collaborators across the world.”
Foreign representatives at the ceremony praised the commission’s work. Fukuda commended the EFCC for its commitment to securing justice for victims of financial crime, describing the agency as a valuable partner in global law enforcement cooperation.
“I have seen the effort the EFCC has made in securing restitution for victims, and it is inspiring to me and my organisation,” he said.
Acting South African High Commissioner Lindi Mminele also welcomed the restitution, noting that the recovery demonstrated the effectiveness of Nigeria’s anti-corruption efforts and strengthened confidence in bilateral cooperation.
The EFCC has, in recent years, intensified investigations into online fraud and cross-border financial crimes, as authorities seek to curb scams that have long tarnished Nigeria’s international reputation and to strengthen collaboration with global law enforcement agencies.
