The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has launched a nationwide manhunt for four individuals accused of orchestrating a staggering $1 billion crypto fraud linked to the notorious Crypto Bridge Exchange (CBEX) platform.
In a public alert issued Friday, the anti-graft agency named Seyi Oloyede, Emmanuel Uko, Adefowora Oluwanisola, and Adefowora Abiodun Olaonipekun as prime suspects in a sophisticated scheme that allegedly swindled scores of unsuspecting investors across Nigeria.
The EFCC revealed that the suspects were last traced to Lagos and Ibadan. Specifically, Oloyede and Uko were last known to reside at No. 166, Idimu Egbeda Road, Lagos, while Oluwanisola and Olaonipekun were linked to 13, Jimoh Odutola, Ogungpa, Ibadan.
In a statement signed by Dele Oyewale, Head of Media & Publicity, the Commission stressed its resolve to root out financial crime, particularly in the fast-growing but poorly regulated cryptocurrency space.
The crackdown follows a ruling by Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja, granting the EFCC authority to arrest and detain six suspects connected to the CBEX heist. The court order came after an ex parte motion filed by EFCC’s counsel, Fadila Yusuf.
Others listed in the court order include Avwerosuo Otorudo and Chukwuebuka Ehirim, in addition to the four now declared wanted.
With over $1 billion reportedly stolen, the CBEX case is shaping up to be one of the largest crypto frauds in Nigerian history. The EFCC is urging citizens with useful information about the suspects’ whereabouts to contact its offices in Ibadan, Enugu, Kano, Lagos, Gombe, Port Harcourt, or Abuja.
