The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday handed over a house, a sport utility vehicle (SUV) and other assets recovered from a convicted romance scammer to an Australian woman.
A statement by EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, said the assets were presented to the victim, Karo Kazzi, through her lawyer, Blessing Nwankwo, at the commission’s Lagos Zonal Directorate 2.
According to the commission, the recovered assets include a gold wedding ring, a gold chain with a cross pendant, an iPhone 12 Pro Max, a Lexus RX350 SUV, and a one-storey building comprising six room-and-parlour self-contained apartments located along the Emedu–Awoyaya axis of Ajah, Lagos.
The properties were recovered from Odey Aleka, who was convicted of a romance scam and obtained by false pretence.
Speaking during the handover ceremony, the Acting Zonal Director of EFCC Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, Bawa Kaltungo, explained that the commission remained committed to ensuring that victims of economic and financial crimes receive justice by recovering assets fraudulently obtained from them whenever possible.
“The EFCC remains committed to ensuring that victims of economic and financial crimes obtain justice and, where possible, recover assets fraudulently obtained from them,” Mr Kaltungo said. “We will also continue to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of such crimes.”
The EFCC noted that the handover followed a final forfeiture order granted by Justice O. O. Abike-Fadipe of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja on 12 March 2024.
According to the commission, the case began after Ms Nwankwo petitioned the agency on behalf of Ms Kazzi, alleging that Mr Aleka had defrauded her.
Investigators found that Mr Aleka, who had been married to the Australian woman, fraudulently obtained valuables and other assets from her through false representations.
The victim subsequently initiated divorce proceedings through her lawyer, who also petitioned the EFCC, leading to an investigation and the eventual prosecution of the suspect.
Mr Aleka was arraigned on charges romance fraud and obtaining by false pretence. He was later convicted and sentenced to one year’s imprisonment with an option of N1 million fine.
The court also ordered the final forfeiture of all assets recovered from the convict to the Federal Government as restitution for the benefit of the victim.
The EFCC said it completed all legal procedures required for the release of the forfeited assets before formally handing them over to the victim’s legal representative on Wednesday.
The latest restitution spotlights the commission’s increasing focus on ensuring that victims of financial crimes recover assets traced to convicted fraudsters. In recent years, the EFCC has intensified its crackdown on cyber-enabled crimes, particularly romance scams and other forms of internet fraud that often target victims across national borders.
Beyond securing convictions, the commission has increasingly sought court orders to recover and return proceeds of crime to identifiable victims where the law permits.
The case also underscores the growing cross-border nature of romance scams, which have become a major concern for law enforcement agencies worldwide as fraudsters exploit online relationships to deceive victims into parting with money and valuable assets.
