The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured the final forfeiture of $163,592 allegedly obtained through an international fraud scheme involving the impersonation of a former employee of a United States-based company.
The forfeiture order was granted on Friday, November 6, 2026, by Justice M. S. Liman of the Federal High Court, Abuja, following an application by the anti-graft agency.
The funds were traced to the domiciliary account of Micoz Bluelink Enterprise, operated by Akpasi Michael Oziegbe, who allegedly impersonated Edward Campbell, a former employee of Applied Industrial Technologies, a US-based company.
In granting the non-conviction-based forfeiture order, Justice Liman held that Oziegbe failed to establish ownership of the funds, adding that he had illegally engaged the services of a law firm to secure settlement money from a company he was not employed by.
EFCC prosecution counsel, Ekele Iheanacho (SAN), led the commission’s legal team in securing the order.
According to the EFCC, investigations revealed that Oziegbe deceived the US-based law firm of Steven J. Mandel & Co. into facilitating the fraudulent release of settlement funds by posing as Campbell, who had reportedly sustained an accident while working for Applied Industrial Technologies.
Information obtained from the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) indicated that the law firm received a request for legal representation on June 27, 2022, from an individual identifying himself as Campbell.
The impersonator claimed he was seeking to enforce a settlement agreement reached with his former employer over an occupational accident, alleging that the company had failed to pay the agreed compensation.
Following the request, the law firm was informed that Applied Industrial Technologies had issued a cheque of $165,157 in favour of Campbell.
The impersonator subsequently instructed the law firm to deduct its legal fees and transfer the balance to a bank account whose details he provided.
Acting on the instructions, the law firm transferred $163,592 to the designated account on July 20, 2022. The money was subsequently credited to the domiciliary account of Micoz Bluelink Enterprise with United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc.
However, on July 21, 2022, JP Morgan Chase Bank notified the law firm that the cheque was altered and fictitious.
The law firm subsequently contacted Applied Industrial Technologies and discovered that the transaction was fraudulent, prompting it to report the incident to the United States Secret Service and the FBI.
Further investigations revealed that UBA had flagged the inflow as suspicious and initiated a reconfirmation process through its correspondent bank, Citibank.
The bank subsequently received confirmation that the transaction was fraudulent, alongside a refund request from JP Morgan Chase Bank on grounds of unjust enrichment.
UBA thereafter placed a lien on the funds, prompting Oziegbe to petition the EFCC over alleged misconduct by some bank officials.
However, the EFCC said its investigation established that the money originated from the alleged fraudulent transaction involving the American law firm and did not represent proceeds from any legitimate supply transaction, as claimed by Oziegbe.
The commission also said Oziegbe failed to provide relevant documents to substantiate his claim that the funds were payment for materials supplied to a company in the United States.
The EFCC’s Extractive Industry Fraud Section (EIFS) commenced investigations after receiving a petition in May 2024 from GAIA & Montgomery Legal on behalf of Oziegbe.
The petition had accused some UBA officials of conspiracy, forgery and obtaining money under false pretences.
However, the commission’s investigation traced the disputed funds to the international fraud scheme, culminating in the Federal High Court’s final forfeiture order.
In the course of the investigation, the Commission obtained information and supporting documents from the FBI, which provided details of the fraudulent transaction and the circumstances surrounding the transfer.
The Commission had earlier secured an order freezing the account on September 9, 2024, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1297/2024, to prevent the dissipation of the funds pending the conclusion of investigations.
It subsequently obtained an interim forfeiture order on August 15, 2025, directing the forfeiture of the $163,592 and inviting interested parties to show cause why the money should not be finally forfeited to the Law Firm of Steven J. Mandel & Co. through the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The EFCC had earlier declared Oziegbe wanted in connection with the fraud.
