United States, US Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI has filed a lawsuit against a Nigeria citizen, Ehiremen Aigbokhan for allegedly defrauding the US President, Donald Trump and his Vice, JD Vance the sum of ₦460 million by thus sending fake email messages to US citizens in December 2024 to contribute and help to fund the presidential inauguration ceremony of Trump and Vance, this notwithstanding, Nigeria Government has shown great commitment in helping the United States and other countries in the world recovered funds stolen by Nigerians from Foreigners as it was evidenced in one of such occasions earlier this year when the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC handed over billions of naira equivalent to Charles Smith, the Legal Attache of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI at the Embassy of the United States in Nigeria and representatives of other countries whose citizens were victims of cybercrimes committed by Nigerians, while the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukayode also used the occasion of the handing over ceremony to call and appealed to foreign countries to always help recover and restitute Nigerians who are victims of fraud committed by citizens of other countries.

Peoples Gazzette news media reported that the court documents as seen by the media, “The Federal Bureau of Investigation filed a civil forfeiture complaint to seize property belonging to Lagos-based (suspected) fraudster, Ehiremen Aigbokhan for (allegedly) stealing more than ₦460 million in funds meant for US President Donald Trump’s 2025 inauguration.

The FBI is also actively pursuing an arrest warrant for Mr Aigbokhan in connection with a cryptocurrency fraud and money laundering scheme that targeted a donor intending to contribute to the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee.

According to legal filings seen by Peoples Gazette, Mr Aigbokhan and his co-conspirators carried out a sophisticated fraudulent operation using the notorious Business Email Compromise scheme to trick their victims into sending money to cryptocurrency accounts belonging to them.

In the weeks leading up to the inauguration on January 20, 2025, the FBI reported that fraudsters created several fake email addresses to mimic the legitimate ones used for the ceremony, which they sent to dozens of people, requesting donations for Mr Trump’s swearing-in ceremony.

On December 26, 2024, one of these fake emails, with the address @t47lnaugural.com, was sent to a victim to mimic @t47inaugural.com, the official email of the co-chair of the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee, Steve Wiktoff.

The victim subsequently sent 250,300 USDT.ETH to the criminals. The 250,300 USDT.ETH is estimated to be worth over ₦400 million at the current black market rate.

Within days of receiving the money, the perpetrators immediately disbursed 215,000 USDT.ETH to several crypto wallets before the FBI caught wind of the scam and requested crypto operator Tether to freeze the accounts, which the company voluntarily adhered to on December 31, court documents showed.

Following the scam, the FBI immediately launched an investigation into the matter, and records of the crypto address associated with the scheme were traced back to Mr Aigbokhan in Lagos. 

Investigations by the FBI revealed that part of the stolen funds were transferred to a Binance.com account registered to Mr Aigbokhan, who created the account in October 2024. The Binance account had no prior deposits before receiving transfers from the scam wallet.

Further digital forensics linked the fraudulent email accounts and cryptocurrency transactions to Nigeria, with IP address data consistently tracing logins and email activity to Lagos, corroborating the connection to Mr Aigbokhan.

The agency said 20,017 USDT.ETH was seized from Mr Aigbokhan’s wallet, and another 20,336 USDT.ETH from 0xC7bdBA7ffB126F68E8454C, totalling over ₦60 million in black market rate, which Rick Blaylock Junior, the Assistant US Attorney for the District of Columbia, is asking the court to declare its forfeiture. 

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, the government agency against internet fraud and all other fraudulent practices in Nigeria is yet to issue any statement over the media report.

It would be recalled that the EFCC assisted the US and other Foreign countries whose citizens were defrauded by Nigerians, recovered the stolen funds and returned the recovered loot to the US and other countries on one of such occasions on February 21, 2025 which EFCC handed over a total sum of $132,362.43, ₦78,566,324.81 to American, Spanish and Swiss victims of local fraudsters.

The Commission described the move as a gesture of its commitment to tackling economic and financial crimes and offering restitution to victims of fraudulent practices.

According to a statement by the EFCC, the handover was performed by its Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, on Friday February 21, 2025 at the EFCC’s corporate headquarters in Jabi, Abuja.

EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede speaking during the presentation said that; “The event is a demonstration of the commitment of the federal government of Nigeria and that of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the fight against corruption and financial crimes.

“A commitment to good governance, a commitment to stimulating the economy and a commitment to prove to the entire world that Nigeria is not a safe haven for financial crimes, a commitment to international cooperation and international synergy in the fight against financial crimes, which you will agree with me, has become a global crime.”

The statement also read, “We are here to demonstrate that the federal government of Nigeria, through the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC is ready to do everything possible to prevent financial crimes from being perpetrated in our system. And when one has taken place, to investigate where assets are involved, to trace, to recover and where necessary, prosecute.

“We don’t just recover, we restitute the victims. We are here this morning to restitute those who were victimized through the perpetration of economic and financial crimes. It is important to know that once the proceeds of crime are recovered, the most responsible thing to do is to restitute the victims.

“Handed over in addition to money are vehicles and real estate to citizens of Spain, the United States of America and Switzerland. Acting Ambassador of Spain to Nigeria, Maria Higon Velasco received the sum of $1,300 and evidence of ₦30 million already transferred to the Embassy of Spain in Nigeria for onward transmission to a victim, Maria Del Rosario San Jose.

“Florent Geel, Senior Political Officer, First Secretary, Embassy of Switzerland received $100,011.43, (One Hundred Thousand, Eleven Dollars and Forty-three Cents on behalf of a victim, Chantai Helene Lavancy, formerly known as Chantai Helene Maeder.

Charles Smith, Legal Attache, Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, Embassy of the United States received the sum of $7,344, (Seven Thousand, Three Hundred and Forty-Four Dollars); ₦7,963,483.35 (Seven Million, Nine Hundred and Sixty-three Thousand, Four Hundred and Eighty-three Naira, Thirty-five Kobo), and Bitcoin cryptocurrency valued at $4,470.00, (Four Thousand, Four Hundred and Seventy Dollars) on behalf of the United States Embassy in Nigeria for onward transmission to a victim, Maria Jesus Brockell.

“Also received by Smith was Mercedes Benz E550 4Matic Chassis Number: WDDHF9AB6AA111112, Mercedes Benz C450 AMG with Chassis Number: WDD20J0641F282467, and one residential bungalow, located at 17/19 Seaman Street, Unguwar Maigero, Kaduna, Kaduna State on behalf of the United States Embassy in Nigeria for onward transmission to the crime victim.

“Additionally, Smith received the sum of $7,527, (Seven thousand, Five Hundred and Twenty-seven Dollars) on behalf of the United States Embassy in Nigeria for onward transmission to the victim of the crime, Michael Smith. He also received the sum of $11,710.00, (Eleven Thousand, Seven Hundred and Ten Dollars) on behalf of the United States Embassy in Nigeria for onward transmission to the crime victim, Cheryle Williams.

“Lastly, Smith received the sum of ₦32,639,358.11, (Thirty-Two Million, Six Hundred and Thirty-nine Thousand, Three Hundred and Fifty-eight Naira, Eleven Kobo) on behalf of the United States Embassy in Nigeria for onward transmission to the crime victim, Marva Marrow.

In her remarks, her Excellency Velasco expressed gratitude, adding “This is a sign of the collaboration between Nigeria and Spain, and we are very grateful for this collaboration.” Smith said

“As the FBI Legal Attache and the representative of the US government, I want to say we personally appreciate this. Many here may not understand what the impact this has to the victims. This gives them complete closure and it allows them to feel whole again. So we really do appreciate and we thank the EFCC. The EFCC is just not operating in Nigeria. The EFCC is a major global contender, and you should recognize that every time.”

On behalf of the government of Switzerland, Geel thanked the government of Nigeria and EFCC for the recovery and restitution.

“I thank the Nigerian government and especially the EFCC for the work they have done to combat internet fraud and other financial crimes. Today’s restitution of money obtained from a Swiss citizen demonstrates the effectiveness but also integrity, professionalism, courage and collaboration that occur between Nigeria and Switzerland. So, thank you for this exemplary collaboration and work in making the digital world safer and better regulated. Switzerland will continue to work alongside the Nigerian government in the service of the security of our respective people. So, thank you again,” he said.

The Permanent Secretary, the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Umar Ahmed, thanked Olukoyede for his efforts in the anti-corruption fight and conveyed the felicitation of the Honorable Minister for Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar and the ministry to the EFCC and the Nigerian government.

According to him, “This is really an unprecedented development, and you cannot believe the impact that this development will have on the mandate of the ministry, because it makes our work a whole lot easier because it really enhances the credibility of Nigeria in the international scene.

“And it will also go a long way in restoring investors’ confidence in the country. And the ministry is very well with you in pursuing this mandate and want to thank you for this initiative.

“It demonstrates the support of our President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the fight against corruption and also in strengthening the EFCC in carrying out its mandate. All of us in the ministry are really happy with this development and we’ll keep on working with you and supporting you and in carrying your mandate.”