Ponzi scam victims in Enugu State have received N96.5 million from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, or EFCC.
Dele Oyewale, an EFCC spokesperson, revealed this in a statement on Friday in Abuja.
According to Oyewale, the action was consistent with the anti-graft agency’s dedication to preventing financial and economic crimes and making sure victims of fraudulent schemes receive compensation.
He stated that on September 30, 2024, Chijioke Ngwu and others filed a petition with the Commission against Oyubu Akpojewve, better known as Justice Nonso Chima, Managing Director of Leverage Index Limited.
According to Oyewale, the petitioners claimed that Akpojewve had tricked them into funding a Ponzi scheme.
“He made proposals to potential investors in two formats: Live Trading and what he dubbed the Monthly Plan.
In order for the company to employ the Monthly Plan and engage in forex trading, an investor must send a minimum of N2.5 million or more to a UBA account number.
Following this, the investor receives a monthly profit of N200,000.00, or 8% of the entire amount invested, while the initial capital of N2.5 million or more is kept for additional monthly trading if the investor so chooses.
The petitioners stated, “The Live Trading format is such that an investor transfers any amount of money to Leverage Index into the said account for a live trading session on a designated day for the firm to trade with on the same designated day and remits 10% of the total sum transferred initially as profit to the investor the next day.”
The petitioners claim that after investing the aforementioned amount, Akpojewve—who claimed to be a registered foreign exchange trader—began making reasons that bordered on conflict with his trading partners. Before they knew it, he had closed his office and was no longer approachable.
According to Oyewale, Commission agents acted quickly after learning that Akpojewve and his associates had plotted to steal the hard-earned money of gullible victims.
EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to fighting financial and economic crimes while delivering the recovered funds to the victims.
Olukayode, speaking on behalf of Mr. Daniel Isei, the Commission’s Enugu Zonal Director, stated that the Commission would keep making sure that victims get their lost money and belongings and scammers are not allowed to profit from their crimes.
In addition to providing you with the draft, my own conclusion is that this need to be a lesson as well. We ought to exercise more caution. Every time we make a business proposition, we ought to be more watchful.
Some may seem too wonderful to be true. We shouldn’t rush to quadruple our money in a single day. I believe that we should take this lesson to heart and discuss it with our friends, family, and kids when we go home.
“I hope this will serve as a reminder that the EFCC is working for you as Nigerians and, secondly, that you can learn from this.”
One of the victims, Ukwu Ernest Ikechukwu, who received a N19.9 million bank draft, praised the Commission for its degree of professionalism and honesty in carrying out its responsibilities.
Ikechukwu Ogbunubi, who also collected N10 million from the recovered cash, praised the Commission for its tenacious efforts to recover the entire sum.
Temple Lewis Maduka received N7.5 million, Ngwu A received N19.4 million, and Alphonsus Umeh received N7 million.
