The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has denied allegations that its investigators accepted a $107,000 bribe to influence the case against Ezekiel Oyo, a suspect accused of involvement in fraudulent activities.
In a statement issued on Friday, EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale said that the allegations were “blatent lies” and “unfounded.” He also said that Oyo had absconded while on bail.
“It is a blatant lie that investigators provided sureties for him. Will sureties provided by investigators spend three weeks to perfect Oyo’s bail conditions, if indeed they were provided by them?
“The purported $107,000 ascribed to EFCC investigators is untrue and unfounded. How could a suspect who benefitted $50,000 from his transactions offer $107,000 as a bribe?
“Every wild claim made against investigators at the Abuja zonal command is mere trumped-up fabrication and should be ignored. All items recovered from him, including a Mercedes Benz C43 AMG, are in the custody of the commission,” he said
Oyewale explained that EFCC investigators in Abuja arrested Oyo on April 5, 2023, following intelligence that he was involved in internet fraud and money laundering.
“The Abuja Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission arrested Ezekiel Joseph Oyo on April 5, 2023, at the Life Camp area of Abuja metropolis, sequel to discreet surveillance and actionable intelligence on his suspected involvement in internet fraud called picking, online romance and money laundering.
“He was introduced to the fraudulent practice through one of his friends, Bruno, based in Germany. To ply his nefarious business, he opened a wallet address with a user name, [email protected]. Through this wallet address, he received into his blockchain a total fraudulent transaction of $3,982,260.91,” he stated
Oyewale added that investigators successfully retrieved a total of $27,000 from Oyo, and that this recovery was meticulously documented and reported.
The EFCC spokesperson said that the allegations of bribery were an attempt to tarnish the commission’s image and to derail the prosecution of Oyo.
He urged the public to ignore the allegations and to continue to support the EFCC in its fight against corruption.
