The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured the final forfeiture of $163,592 linked to an alleged international fraud scheme involving a United States-based law firm.
In a statement posted on X, the commission said 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 EFCC.
The commission said prosecution counsel, Ekele Iheanacho, SAN, led its legal team in securing the order.
According to the EFCC, the court granted the non-conviction-based forfeiture after finding that Akpasi Michael Oziegbe, who operated the account that received the funds, failed to establish ownership of the money.
Justice Liman held that Oziegbe had illegally procured the services of the law firm to secure a settlement sum from a company he was not employed by.
The $163,592 was traced to the domiciliary account of Micoz Bluelink Enterprise, operated by Oziegbe, after it was allegedly obtained from US-based company Applied Industrial Technologies through the impersonation of a former employee, Edward Campbell.
EFCC investigations revealed that Oziegbe allegedly posed as Campbell, who had sustained an accident while on duty, to deceive the law firm of Steven J. Mandel & Co. into facilitating the release of settlement funds.
Information obtained from the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), according to the commission, showed 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 with his former employer over a workplace accident, alleging that the company had failed to pay the agreed sum.
The law firm was subsequently informed that Applied Industrial Technologies had issued a cheque for $165,157 on behalf of Campbell.
The individual then instructed the firm to deduct its legal fees and transfer the balance to bank account 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 Micoz Bluelink Enterprise’s domiciliary account 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 contacted Applied Industrial Technologies, discovered the fraud and reported the incident to the United States Secret Service and the FBI.
The EFCC further disclosed that UBA had flagged the inflow as suspicious and initiated a reconfirmation process through its correspondent bank, Citi Bank.
After receiving confirmation that the transaction was fraudulent, alongside a refund request from JP Morgan Chase Bank on grounds of unjust enrichment, UBA placed a lien on the funds.
The action prompted Oziegbe to petition the EFCC over alleged misconduct by some bank officials.
However, the commission said its investigation established that the funds originated from the alleged fraudulent transaction involving the American law firm and were not proceeds from any supply transaction, as claimed by Oziegbe.
It added that Oziegbe failed to provide relevant documents to substantiate his claim that the money represented payment for materials supplied to the United States.
The EFCC said its Extractive Industry Fraud Section (EIFS) began investigating the matter after receiving a petition in May 2024 from GAIA & Montgomery Legal on behalf of Oziegbe, alleging conspiracy, forgery and obtaining money under false pretences against some UBA officials.
