The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has confirmed the transfer of $22,000, recovered from a convicted internet fraudster, Hakeem Olanrewaju, to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI).

Dele Oyewale, the commission’s spokesperson disclosed on Saturday that the handover took place in Lagos State on Friday.

Acting Director of EFCC Lagos Zonal Command, Michael Wetkas, expressed appreciation for the collaboration and assured of EFCC’s continued efforts in combating financial crimes.

During the event, FBI’s Legal Attaché Charles Smith praised the EFCC for its action.

He said “The EFCC and FBI work collaboratively together, and it is thanks to the EFCC that we can recover funds of this nature, especially from Business email Compromise, BEC.

“This type of crime cripples businesses in the US, and for them to recover the money within one to two years gives hope to the affected companies and brings some level of justice, even if not all subjects have been identified.

“We hope our relationship continues and fosters a more cohesive partnership between the two agencies. If there’s anything the FBI can do to support this investigation, we will do so. We appreciate this on behalf of the FBI and thank the EFCC.”

On August 15, 2023, Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, mandated that the funds retrieved from Olanrewaju, serving a two-year prison term for identity theft and impersonation, be returned to his victim in the US.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s recent trip to Nigeria has taken a new twist, with reports emerging that they were welcomed by and enjoyed the hospitality of a man currently under federal indictment in the United States.

DailyMail.com reports that CEO and Chairman, Air Peace, Dr. Allen Onyema, who played a prominent in receiving the British royals in Nigeria is currently wanted in the United States.

According to the DailyMail.com, the 59-year-old businessman, is facing a series of charges, connected to an alleged fraud scheme totaling millions of dollars, detailed in a federal indictment filed in November 2019.

Despite his legal troubles, Dr. Onyema played a prominent role in the royal couple’s reception, joining a group of dignitaries to greet them upon their arrival in Lagos on may 12.

The 59-year-old businessman faces multiple charges related to a $20 million money laundering and bank fraud scheme.

Amidst the royals arrival in Nigeria, Dr. Onyema, adorned in navy attire with shades and a striking red kufi hat, stood among a select group of dignitaries.

This ensemble, comprising senior military and government officials, greeted Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as they disembarked from their Air Peace aircraft, capturing a momentous occasion in photographs.

Founded by Dr. Onyema over a decade ago, Air Peace continues to operate as the largest airline in West Africa amidst the ongoing controversy.

According to the indictment Dr Onyema is accused of leveraging his prominent status as a business leader and airline executive to launder over $20 million from Nigeria through US bank accounts.

Notably, there is no indication that Prince Harry or Meghan Markle were aware of Dr Onyema’s background prior to their meeting.

Furthermore, it has been revealed that the royal couple initially intended to use a different airline for their trip, but plans were altered last minute.

Former US Attorney Byung J ‘BJay’ Pak, who initiated the charges, has since left office, with the case now under the purview of US Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, Ryan Buchanan, who assumed the role in 2022.

Pak commented on the case, stating that Dr Onyema allegedly utilized falsified documents to commit fraud while leveraging his status as a prominent business figure and airline executive, a revelation that casts a shadow over the Sussexes’ “private” tour of Nigeria.

Robert Murphy, the agent overseeing the DEA Atlanta field division, remarked, “Allen Onyema’s portrayal as a wealthy businessman turned out to be a facade.

He exploited the US banking system, but his web of deception and manipulation has now been exposed.”

The indictment further alleges that Onyema established several seemingly innocuous multi-million-dollar asset acquisitions, which were purported fronts for his fraudulent activities.

According to the indictment, Onyema holds positions as the founder and chairman of various organizations in Nigeria, including the Foundation for Ethnic Harmony, International Center for Non-Violence and Peace Development, and All-Time Peace Media Communications Limited.

Starting in 2010, Onyema embarked on frequent trips to Atlanta, where he initiated the opening of numerous personal and business bank accounts.

Over the span of eight years, from 2010 to 2018, it is alleged that more than $44.9 million was transferred into his Atlanta-based accounts from overseas sources.

In 2013, Onyema established Air Peace, and the indictment suggests that in subsequent years, he traveled to the United States and acquired multiple aircraft.

The Department of Justice contends that a portion of the funds used for aircraft purchases, totaling over $3 million, originated from bank accounts associated with the Foundation for Ethnic Harmony, International Center for Non-Violence and Peace Development, All-Time Peace Media Communications Limited, and Every Child Limited.

Furthermore, Air Peace’s Chief of Administration and Finance, Ejiroghene Eghagha, faces charges alongside Onyema.

The charges against both individuals include one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, three counts of bank fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit credit application fraud, and three counts of credit application fraud.

Additionally, Onyema faces 27 separate counts of money laundering, while Eghagha is charged with committing aggravated identity theft in connection with the scheme.

Beginning around May 2016, investigators allege that Onyema and Eghagha orchestrated a scheme using export letters of credit to funnel more than $20 million into Onyema’s Atlanta-based bank accounts. These funds were ostensibly earmarked for the purchase of five Boeing 737 passenger planes for Air Peace.

To support their transactions, the duo provided various documents, including purchase agreements, bills of sale, and appraisals, indicating Air Peace’s acquisition of the aircraft from Springfield Aviation Company LLC, a Georgia-based business. However, investigators assert that these documents were fabricated.

Contrary to the representations made, Springfield Aviation Company LLC, owned by Onyema but managed by an individual with no aviation background, never possessed the aircraft. Additionally, the entity responsible for drafting the appraisals was nonexistent.

In October 2022, Ebony Mayfield, an American citizen and former staff member of Springfield Aviation Company, was sentenced to three years’ probation and fined $4,000 after being charged by the US Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia for her alleged involvement in the scheme.

Dr Onyema and Eghagha continue to face pending charges, with both asserting their innocence in the matter.

Alike Dangote, Africa’s wealthiest individual and Chairman of the Dangote Group, has disclosed that Nigeria will cease gasoline imports next month due to the strategic initiatives of the Dangote Refinery.

Speaking at the Africa CEO Forum Annual Summit in Kigali, Dangote expressed optimism about revolutionizing Africa’s energy landscape.

Dangote emphasized the refinery’s capability to meet not only Nigeria’s gasoline demands but also those of West Africa for petrol and diesel, along with the continent’s aviation fuel requirements.

He said, “Right now, Nigeria has no cause to import anything apart from gasoline and by sometime in June, within the next four or five weeks, Nigeria shouldn’t import anything like gasoline; not one drop of a litre.”

Additionally, Dangote outlined the progress made by the oil company to ensure that Africa achieves self-sufficiency in the energy sector.

He said, “We have enough gasoline to give to at least the entire West Africa, diesel to give to West Africa and Central Africa. We have enough aviation fuel to give to the entire continent and also export some to Brazil and Mexico.

“Today, our polypropylene and our polyethene will meet the entire demand of Africa and we are doing base oil, which is like engine oil, we are doing linear benzyl, which is raw material to produce detergent. We have 1.4 billion people in the population, nobody is producing that in Africa.

“So, all the raw materials for our detergents are imported. We are producing that raw material to make Africa self-sufficient. As I said, give us three or a maximum of four years and Africa will not, I repeat, not import any more fertilizer from anywhere.

“We will make Africa self-sufficient in potash, phosphate, and urea, we are at three million tonnes and in the next twenty months, we will be at six million tonnes of urea which is the entire capacity of Egypt. We are getting there.”

Dangote further elaborated on the achievements of the company since the commissioning of the refinery in February.

“For some of us, despite the boom of the capital market of the US, you know, Google, Microsoft and the rest, we didn’t participate, we took all our money and invested in Africa.

“We had this dream, just about five years ago and we said we want to move from five billion (dollars) revenue to thirty billion revenue and we made it happen. It is possible and now we have made it happen and now we have finished our refinery.

“Our refinery is quite big, it is something that we believe that Africa needs. If you look at the whole continent, there are only two countries that don’t import petroleum products which is a tragedy. They are only Algeria and Libya. The rest are all importers.

“So, we need to change and make sure that we don’t just go and produce raw materials, we should also produce finished products and create jobs.

“One of the things we also need to know as Africans is that we produce raw materials and export them when you export raw materials and somebody now keeps importing things into your continent and dumping goods. what you are importing is poverty and exporting jobs. So, we have to change that narrative.

“We just commissioned in February and now we are producing jet fuel, we are producing diesel and by next month, we will be producing gasoline.

“What that would do is that we would be taking most of the African crude that is being produced and also be able to supply not only Nigeria, because our capacity is too big for Nigeria, but it would also supply West Africa, Central Africa and also South Africa.

“We have 650,000 barrels per day, 1 million tonnes of polypropylene, we have 590,000 carbon black, that is the raw materials ink, dyes and co. We are expanding more. This is the first phase and we are going out to the next phase which will start early next year,” he said.