Nigerian authorities arrested Amb. Nigerian politician Wilfred Bonse has been charged with theft and money laundering in connection with the breach suffered by cryptocurrency trading company Patricia Technologies Ltd.
According to the Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, Patricia’s arrest followed a police investigation into the hacking incident.
like decided According to Adejobi, Bonse allegedly helped launder 50 million naira ($62,368) of the 607 million naira ($757,151) fraudulently diverted from the platform to his account through a cryptocurrency wallet.
Before his arrest, Bonse was vying for the governorship of Nigeria’s southern region. While the investigation continues, other suspects remain at large and the PRO said all involved in the criminal conspiracy case will be arrested and brought to book.
Commenting on the arrest, Patricia CEO Hanu Fejiro Abgodje said the development validated the cryptocurrency platform, which had come under criticism following the hacking incident.
“This is a huge relief. We were finally vindicated, as there were quite a few people who didn’t believe that our platform had been hacked in the first place. However, thanks to the hard work of the Nigerian Police and the unwavering dedication of our colleagues, we are delighted that our customers now have even more reason to continue to trust us. The dark days are over.”
Patricia CEO, Hanu Fejiro Agbodje
Patricia suffered a breach last May and lost customer deposits. In a recent blog post, the platform announced that it would proceed with a repayment plan that began on November 20 despite DLM Trust Company terminating its partnership agreement with the cryptocurrency exchange.