Court Orders EFCC To Take Over N280m In Invictus Obi’s Bank Account

elombah.com

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, on Monday ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission [EFCC] to confiscate a sum of N280,555,010.65 found in the bank accounts of Invictus Oil and Gas Ltd. and Invictus Investment Ltd. owned by billionaire Invictus Obi, real name Obinwanne George Okeke.

Invictus is being prosecuted by the American Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI] for cybercrime syndicate specialised in business email compromise.

He is presently standing trial in the United States of America over alleged $11 million cyber fraud.
The suspected billionaire fraudster was arrested in August by FBI for defrauding a number of American citizens to the tune of $11 million through fraudulent wire transfer instructions in a massive coordinated business email compromise scheme.”

EFCC had approached the court with evidence showing that the 31-year-old Nigerian obtained the said funds through means suspected to be proceeds of cybercrime.

EFCC lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo, asked the court to order their forfeiture to the Federal Government to prevent Obi from dissipating same.

In an affidavit filed in support of the application, EFCC investigator, Mr. Ariyo Muritala, said the commission assigned him and others to investigate a request for information on Okeke and three others by the United States Department of Justice, Office of the Legal Attache, US Consulate General.

Mr. Muritala stated in the affidavit: “I know as a fact and verily believe that our investigation has revealed the following ear-aching and mind-boggling findings:

(a)That the Obinwanne George Okeke is a strong leader of a cybercrime syndicate specialised in business email compromise.

(b) That the said syndicate has defrauded many innocent and unsuspecting victims

(g) That the said Obiwanne George Okeke has been arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States of America for cybercrime-related offences

(h) That if these funds are not forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria, Obiwanne George Okeke and his cronies will dissipate same.

Following an ex parte application by the EFCC, Justice Rilwan Aikawa agreed with him and ordered the temporary forfeiture of the sums of N240,250,904.46 and N40,304,106.19.

Invictus Obi was in 2016 celebrated by Forbes as one of Africa’s most outstanding entrepreneurs under the age of 30 and described by the magazine as “proof that there is hope for Africa,”