The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday handed over ₦96.5 million to victims of a forex ponzi scheme in Enugu state.
This followed a petition filed in September 2024 by several victims, including Chijioke Ngwu, accusing the managing director of Leverage Index Limited, Oyubu Clement Akpojewve, of luring them to invest in a ponzi scheme.
According to the complainants, Akpojewve promoted two investment packages: a monthly plan that promised fixed monthly profits of ₦200,000 or 8% for deposits of ₦2.5 million or more, with the initial capital retained for further monthly trading if the investor wishes.
The package also included a live trading model that guaranteed a 10% return within 24 hours.
Investors said they transferred funds into an account used by the company for forex trading.
However, shortly after receiving the money, Akpojewve began giving excuses about internal disputes before shutting down his office and disappearing, leaving investors unable to recover their funds.
The anti-graft agency launched an investigation and discovered that the funds had been moved through multiple bank accounts, a pattern the agency said was used to obscure the flow of money and hide its final destination.
During the handover ceremony, EFCC chairman Ola Olukoyede, represented by Enugu zonal director Daniel Isei, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to protecting citizens from financial crimes and recovering stolen assets.
He urged Nigerians to be cautious of investment offers that promise unusually high or guaranteed returns.
“We should be more circumspect and more vigilant during every business proposal.
“Some can look too good to be real. We should not be in a hurry to double our money overnight.
“I think we should learn from this and we should also take it home and talk to our friends, family, and our children,” he said.
One of the victims, Ukwu Ernest Ikechukwu, who received a ₦19.9 million draft, praised the EFCC for its transparency.
“For me, I will personally write about the EFCC Enugu directorate because nobody asked me to give him one naira. Kudos to EFCC.
“This is the first time I’m aware that a government agency can actually work, and if every other agency can emulate the EFCC, I don’t think we will have problems in this country,” he said.
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