Retired Colonel of the Nigerian Army, Garuba Okpoh and his wife, Justina Okpoh took their son, Felix Osilama Okpoh to the Lagos office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC to face investigation of fraud related activities.
Felix Okpoh is wanted by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) for alleged involvement in a Business Email Compromise (BEC) scheme that defrauded over 70 different businesses in the United States, hence the reason for turning himself in.
Okpoh, 31, allegedly conspired with five others to defraud their American victims of over $6 million.
A spokesperson for the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, said the suspect surrendered on September 18 and that investigations into his case had commenced.
Uwujaren quoted Okpoh as saying during interrogation that he decided to surrender himself to the EFCC out of respect for his parents and his resolve to be morally upright.
The FBI accused the suspect of allegedly providing hundreds of bank accounts to Richard Izuchukwu Uzuh and other co-conspirators, Alex Afolabi Ogunshakin, Abiola Ayorinde Kayode, and Nnamdi Orson Benson, that were used to receive fraudulent wire transfers.
Bank accounts that Okpoh allegedly provided to Uzuh allegedly received fraudulent wire transfers from victim businesses totalling over $1 million.
On June 16, 2020, United States Attorney Joe Kelly and Kristi K. Johnson, Special Agent in Charge of the Omaha field office of the FBI, announced the unsealing of indictments charging the six Nigerians for their involvement in the fraud schemes.
“The schemes included individual victims and victim businesses both in Nebraska and other states,” the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement announcing the indictment. “BECs are sophisticated cybercrimes involving electronic transfer payments or automated clearinghouse transfers.”
