A Federal High Court in Lagos has permanently forfeited to the Federal Government the sum of about three hundred million naira found in Zenith bank accounts belonging to two companies owned by an FBI wanted Internet Fraudster, Obinwanne Okeke also known as Invictus Obi.
The companies are: Invictus Oil and Gas Ltd and Invictus Investment Limited.
Okeke is standing trial in the United States of American for an alleged $11m cyber fraud following his indictment alongside 77 Nigerians by Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI.
Justice Rilwan Aikawa made the order sequel to a motion for final forfieture filed and agued by the counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo.
The judge had on October 9 granted an interim forfeiture of the funds and ordered EFCC to publish the interim order to enable any interested parties to show cause why the final order should not be made.
At the resumed hearing, Oyedepo informed the court that all requirements for final forfieture had been met, including publication of the interim order which was done in the Nation Newspaper of October 25.
He prayed the court to grant the application for final forfeiture because “there is no opposition to the request from anybody.”
He said Justice Aikawa had the power to make the interim forfeiture order by virtue of Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and other related Fraud Offence Act No. 14, 2006.
Granting his prayer in a bench ruling, Justice Aikawa ordered that the said in two Zenith Bank accounts no 3341692012 and 1013714256 be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The EFCC had told the judge that Okeke, 31, was “a strong leader of a cybercrime syndicate specialising in business email compromise.”
In an affidavit filed in support of the application, EFCC investigator, 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.
