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FBI
Rewards EFCC Operatives
Over Arrest Of Nigerian Fraudsters
Newsdiaryonline Wed Aug 17,2011
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI has issued certificates
of outstanding performance to some operatives of the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. The beneficiaries are
officers who participated actively in the arrest of Nigerian
fraudsters that had been on the wanted persons list of the FBI.
Kenny Ivy, the FBI Legal
Attache to the US Embassy in Nigeria who presented the
certificates on behalf of the agency said the FBI is impressed
with the degree of professionalism shown by the EFCC,
particularly in the arrest of a Nigerian fraudster, Raheed
Mustapha who escaped from the United States and took refuge in
Nigeria after defrauding an American company of about $800,000.
He thanked the
Commission for its efforts and said the FBI looks forward to a
continuous working relationship with the EFCC. Also present at
the event was his assistant, Jennifer Dent. Dent who has been in
Nigeria for the past two years said she has been working on the
case with the Commission since she came. She expressed
appreciation for the support she received from the Commission.
The 35 year old Mustapha was alleged to have conspired with four
other persons including his cousin also based in the United
States in 2006, to obtain checks totalling $800,000 USD from the
401(k) Plans ( pension scheme ) to which they are not entitled.
Once employed by the
ACS, a Pension Fund Administrator in the US , Mustapha informed
his conspirators how to obtain from the ACS default personal
identification numbers “PINS” for the 401(K) Plans Accounts of
the 401(K) participants. He provided them with information as to
how to change the mailing addresses associated with those
accounts, and how to obtain distribution checks from those
accounts. The FBI
discovered this and placed an arrest warrant on him before he
finally fled to Nigeria.
The FBI however contacted the EFCC which eventually trailed and
arrested him on 12th March,2011 in his father's
residence in Lekki area of Lagos where he was hiding.
Speaking at the ceremony which took place at the Commission's
Lagos Zonal Headquarters, on Tuesday , EFCC Chairman, Mrs Farida
Waziri who was represented by the Head of Operations, Zubairu
Muazu expressed appreciation for the commendation by the
FBI and assured the American authorities of greater cooperation
in the concerted efforts to rid both the two countries of
criminal elements.
The suspect
and another are both awaiting extradition to the US to face
trial. Three other Nigerian fugitives had earlier been handed
over to US law enforcement agents. While George
Ubeozor was extradited in 2008, Sunday Adebisi Adegbesan
was handed over in 2009 both to the authorities in New York .
The Latest to suffer the same fate, Ehkator was indicted in the
U.S. District court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania on
November 3, 2010 over a $32 million internet collections scam.
The suspect was arrested in Benin City , Edo State in August
2010 by EFCC operatives following
top level exchange of information between U.S. Law
enforcement agents and the EFCC over the activities of a
trans-border ring of internet scammers headed by Ekhator.
The extradition process filed through the office of the Attorney
General and Minister of Justice, was eventually approved by a
federal high court in Lagos on July 26th, 2011.
The suspect was however flown to the U.S. on Wednesday August
10th and handed over to a District Court for the Middle District
of Pennsylvania the following day by an officer of the EFCC.
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