The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has returned a bank draft worth N42.5 million to a 70-year-old widow and retiree, Margret Taye Odofin.
The recovered funds were traced to her former account and investment officer, Kehinde Olawale Yusuf, an employee of a new-generation bank, who had defrauded her.
The official handover took place on Thursday, November 2025, at the Kaduna Zonal Directorate of the EFCC. The presentation was made by the Acting Director, Bawa Kaltungo, on behalf of the Commission’s Executive Chairman, Ola Olukoyede.
Odofin had filed a petition with the Kaduna Zonal Directorate of the EFCC in December 2024, accusing Yusuf of defrauding her.
According to her complaint, Yusuf — who managed her accounts — had between November and December 2020 convinced her to invest in several alleged ponzi schemes with a promise of earning quarterly returns of N1.7 million. Unbeknownst to her, the banker had ulterior motives and systematically siphoned N47 million from her account, transferring the funds to multiple other bank accounts without her authorization.
After Odofin discovered the fraudulent transactions, Yusuf severed contact and fled to the United Kingdom, UK. Despite her escape, EFCC investigators were able to trace and recover the stolen funds.
Odofin expressed profound gratitude to the Commission and its leadership for restoring her stolen assets.
‘I cannot believe this because when we reported this case in the United Kingdom where Mrs Kehinde Yusuf absconded, after defrauding me, they said the offence was committed in Nigeria, hence they advised that we report to it the EFCC, which we did and today I am singing to the glory of God because God has used the Commission to wipe away my tears. I have waited for years to get my hard-earned money back.
‘I want to thank Mr. Ola Olukoyede for the excellent job he is doing. I will campaign for the EFCC anywhere because today they have given me every reason to believe and testify that the Commission is working sincerely. I pray for you all that you continue to succeed’, she said.
At the handover event, Kaltungo reaffirmed the EFCC’s commitment to securing justice for victims of financial crimes under the leadership of Executive Chairman Olukoyede.
‘I want to sincerely appreciate you for having trust in the Commission to help you recover your hard-earned money. We are happy that we have convinced you of our professionalism and capacity to resolve any fraudulent activity within our mandate’, he said.
