24th March, 2023
A Nigerian woman Florence Enwerim Onyegbu has been extradited to the United States of America about 12 years after she ran way from the country to avoid serving a 46 months’ jail term for healthcare fraud.
Onyegbu’s extradition was coordinated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, following a request by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, seeking assistance for her apprehension.
Spokesperson for EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren said the Commission, on March 22, 2023, handed over Onyegbu to the FBI.
Justice Z.B. Abubakar of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had on December 2, 2022 granted order to extradite her to the US where she was arrested on February 12, 2011.
She was subsequently sentenced to 46 months imprisonment, following a guilty plea , over the violation of the U.S. Law bordering on the offer and payment of illegal remuneration in a health care matter.
She was ordered to report for service of her sentence on April 4, 2011, but she failed to surrender on that date.
Consequently, she was further charged with failure to surrender for service of sentence in violation of U.S. Law on March 4, 2013.
EFCC said she changed her name from Florence E. Onyegbu to Janet Boi in an attempt to remain hidden and returned to Nigeria.
However, ran out of luck when operatives of the EFCC swooped on her at her residence in the Ojodu area of Lagos on February 21, 2022.
Upon her arrest, a national identity card with the name Janet Boi as well as a Texas driver’s license with the name Florence Enwerim Onyegbu were found on her and the process of her extradition began.