As Nigeria battles to save its image over the indictment of 80 individuals by the U.S. Department of Justice for alleged 3 billion dollars scam, the AD King Foundation Nigeria has risen in defence against any form of stigmatisation.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the U.S. Justice Department has indicted dozens of individuals accused of their involvement in a massive business e-mail scam and money laundering schemes.
Thom Mrozek, spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, confirmed more than a dozen individuals had been arrested during raids on Thursday, mostly in the Los Angeles area.
The report has a total of 80 defendants who are allegedly involved in the scheme. News of the early-morning raids were first reported by ABC7 in Los Angeles.
In a 145-page indictment, the 80 named individuals are charged with conspiracy to commit mail and bank fraud, as well as aggravated identity theft and money laundering.
The report also said that some of the individuals alleged to be involved in the scam are based in Nigeria.
The President/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of AD King Foundation Nigeria, Prof. Babs Onabanjo, in a statement on Tuesday in Lagos, however, commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for its professional and painstaking investigation to uncover the crime.
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NAN reports that A.D.King Foundation Nigeria Inc., is a non-profit and a non-violent conflict resolution entity registered in Nigeria.
The organisation was formed to revolutionise the mindset, attitude and behavior that promote violence and war with non-violent principles, methods and direct actions.
The mission is to promote youth empowerment development and non-violent social change strategies as a way of life throughout the world. The goal is to build a beloved community with “Social Justice and Entrepreneurship”.
Onabanjo on how to project a good image of the country called on Nigerians in the Diaspora to be good ambassadors.
“AD King Foundation Nigeria condemns and bemoans the high rate of internet scam linked to some unscrupulous Nigerians who do not represent the majority of hardworking Nigerians home and abroad.
“The foundation, therefore, calls on the international community not to stigmatise Nigerians and paint every Nigerian with the same brush of corruption.
“It is only a handful of Nigerians that are bringing shame to Nigeria, while the vast majority of Nigerians are honest and hardworking,” he said.
He added that it was a fact that many Nigerians were blazing the trail in different walks of life in the U.S.
“As an organisation that espouses the tenets and philosophy of non-violent means of social and political change, AD King Foundation Nigeria calls on Nigerians in the Diaspora to be good ambassadors of their country.
“The foundation’s president calls on leaders at all levels in Nigeria to, as a matter of urgency, prioritise the training and retraining of young Nigerians.
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“This will help them to be self-sustaining and reduce the scourge of unemployment in the country.
“Nigeria must restructure to avoid complete and total collapse. The marriage of forced convenience is no longer sustainable and must be urgently protected.
Onabanjo proposed that Nigeria should go back to the regional government which according to him would engender autonomy for the country.
“The regional autonomy of the six geopolitical zones namely (North-East, North-West, North-Central, South-East, South-West and South-South) and Abuja the capital must become a reality to keep Nigeria one.
“Nigerians in the Diaspora have lost confidence in the current structure that Nigerian citizens are being subjected to xenophobic attacks, economic and social slavery and other atrocities of monumental proportion.
“As a result of the lack of equitable structure in Nigeria, they feel like second class citizens in their motherland.
“Hence, they labour in vain in foreign countries, rather than return home to build a thriving and an inclusive nation,” he said.
Onabanjo called for the restructuring of Nigeria to avoid complete and total disintegration and also advised South Africa to stop xenophobic attacks, economic and social slavery and other atrocities of monumental proportion. (NAN)
