The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, has said the commission has so far recovered $20million worth of cryptocurrency from cybercriminals.
Bawa who spoke on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily program on Tuesday said the antigraft agency views cryptocurrency as an opportunity used by fraudsters to launder proceeds of crime.
Speaking on how the anti-graft agency handles this loot, Bawa said that the commission keeps cryptocurrency loot recovered in the commission’s e-wallet.
The EFCC boss’s disclosure comes a few months after the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) directed banks to close accounts of persons or entities involved in cryptocurrency transactions within their systems.
“As it is today, there is nowhere in the world where cryptocurrency is being regulated. The EFCC is looking at cryptocurrency as an avenue where people are laundering their proceeds of crime.
“Where people are receiving proceeds of crime and that is our worry. We have seen again and again how cybercriminals are using it as an avenue to get their proceeds of crime.
“Before, it used to be through money transfer agencies like Money Gram and Western Union. Now they have gone.
“They will defraud somebody and get gift cards, and exchange in dark webs, and use the proceeds to buy crypto. And then of course get it into their e-wallets and they can sell and get their money.”
“As it is now today, we have about $20 million worth of cryptocurrency because we also created our own crypto wallet to recover cryptocurrency. We are now recovering the proceeds of crime.
“We are in support of what the CBN has done because it has reduced the ease for which these criminals can get cryptocurrency and get naira for it.
“I believe we will not be left behind when it comes to ensuring that laws and regulations are put in place to checkmate the excesses of cryptocurrency.”
Speaking further, Bawa said between January to June 3, 2021, 1,436 suspected cybercriminals have been arrested across the country.
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