From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorun
The Ilorin zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested one Festus Akinyemi Abiona, 38, for alleged internet fraud.
Abiona is on the wanted list of the the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States for alleged in internet scam.
The suspect, who has also been on the wanted list of EFCC for more than eight months, was arrested in his Arepo, Ogun State house, it was gathered.
The Nation learnt that Abiona had not stepped out of his house for the past five months, fearing that operatives of the EFCC or of the FBI might pick him up if he did.
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The FBI, in a petition dated July 10, 2019, alleged that the suspect was involved in business email compromise (BEC) and other computer-enabled fraud.
The petition stated that “in May 2016, the FBI received information that an actor or actors bypassed online security to steal money from retirement accounts held by an insurance company for public workers in the United States, which resulted in the loss of approximately $2,500, 000.”
Investigation by the EFCC revealed that the person behind the business email compromise may be Festus Akinyemi Abiona and his syndicate members.
Millions of naira have been allegedly traced to his bank accounts and some of the emails used in ‘perpetrating’ the fraud had been taken over from the suspect, an EFCC source said.
The petition said further that “the accounts contain numerous communications between Abiona and other criminals co-conspirators seeking to commit business email compromise (BEC), tax refund fraud, and other computer-enabled fraud.”
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