By Nkechi Eze
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured the final forfeiture of $163,592 fraudulently obtained through an impersonation scheme involving a United States-based law firm.
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.
According to an official statement signed by the EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, the court held that the defendant, Akpasi Michael Oziegbe, failed to establish ownership of the funds, which were traced to his domiciliary account operated through Micoz Bluelink Enterprise.
The court, in granting the non-conviction-based forfeiture order, held that Oziegbe illegally procured the services of the American law firm to secure settlement funds from a company he was not employed by.
The money was fraudulently obtained from Applied Industrial Technologies, a US-based company, through the impersonation of one Edward Campbell, a former employee who had sustained an accident while on duty.
Investigations revealed that Oziegbe posed as Campbell and approached the Law Firm of Steven J. Mandel & Co. on June 27, 2022, claiming that his former employer had failed to fulfil a settlement agreement arising from a workplace accident.
Following the request, the law firm was informed that Applied Industrial Technologies had issued a cheque of $165,157 in settlement of Campbell’s claim.
Oziegbe subsequently instructed the law firm to deduct its legal fees and transfer the balance to a bank account he supplied.
Acting on the instruction, 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 before reporting the incident to the United States Secret Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The EFCC further established that UBA had flagged the inflow as suspicious and initiated a reconfirmation process through its correspondent bank, Citibank. Following confirmation of the fraudulent transaction and a refund request from JP Morgan Chase Bank, UBA placed a lien on the funds.
Oziegbe subsequently petitioned the EFCC, alleging misconduct by some officials of the bank.
However, the Commission’s investigation established that the funds were proceeds of the alleged fraudulent transaction and not legitimate payments for materials supplied to the United States, as claimed by Oziegbe.
The EFCC also found that he failed to provide relevant documents to substantiate his claim that the money represented payment for supplies.
The Commission’s Extractive Industry Fraud Section (EIFS) commenced investigations following a petition received in May 2024 from GAIA & Montgomery Legal, acting on behalf of Oziegbe, which alleged conspiracy, forgery and obtaining money under false pretences against some UBA officials.
In the course of the investigation, the EFCC obtained information and supporting documents from the FBI detailing 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 funds from being dissipated.
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 alleged fraud.
Prosecution counsel, Ekele Iheanacho, SAN, led the EFCC legal team in securing the final forfeiture order.
