Emomotimi Agama, the director-general (DG) of the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC), says the CBEX digital trading platform is not registered with the agency.

Agama spoke on Arise Xchange on Wednesday, responding to questions on the loss of investors’ funds after the recent collapse of the CBEX trading platform.

The CBEX had reportedly promised investors a 100 percent returns, before it suddenly crashed — leading to the looting of its Ibadan office on Monday.

The director-general said the commission has repeatedly warned that any investment scheme that is not registered is illegal.

He said investors must always check if schemes are registered with the SEC, noting that the ISA 2025 defines ponzi schemes and prescribes sanctions for those involved.

“For us at the SEC, our primary responsibility is investor protection, and investor protection stems out of registration and regulation,” he said.

“When a scheme is not registered with the SEC, it becomes illegal; and is important that whoever is interested in investing in such scheme must ask the question, Are you registered with the SEC?

“If that is not the case, then it is automatically stated and known that such is an illegal activity and will not be condoned even by the SEC.”

‘SEC HAS NOT RECEIVED OFFICIAL COMPLAINTS REGARDING CBEX’

Agama said the commission was unaware of CBEX’s illegal operation, stressing that no official complaints were made regarding the scheme.

“Often times with schemes like this, most people will always try to keep it away from the regulator and even keep it away from their friends, except a few group of persons whom they are interested in,” he said.

“So for us, at the SEC as we speak today, at this hour, we have not received any complaints from anyone regarding CBEX.

“If we had received any formal complaint regarding CBEX, the team at the SEC will have actually swung into action trying to get who is involved.

“However, we sympathise very much with the people, the victims, because they are Nigerians, and of course, at SEC, we will commence investigation as to where these people are, and make sure we hunt them down, because the law actually has given us the power to take them down, find them, sanction them by fining, and also sending them to the prisons for 10 years, that is the provision of the law.”

‘WE’ll CONTINUE TO EDUCATE NIGERIANS

The director-general said the SEC has persistently cautioned Nigerians against investing in schemes that seem too good to be true.

He noted that the commission uses paid advertisements, videos uploaded on the SEC website, interviews, and newspaper articles to enlighten the public.

“Ponzi scheme didn’t start today, it is a global malaise. It started in the 20th century by a man called Charles Ponzi, who clearly, at that point in time, promised that he was going to give every investor 50 percent in returns, and from then on, it became a practice by so many people to defraud people from their hard-earned resources,” Agama said.

“It is very clear that the choices made by people must be dictated and regulated by the law of the land.

“The SEC will continuously educate people. We have in the process of doing that, agreed to various forms of interview.

“We’ve also launched a podcast at the SEC providing more information towards our long term goal of launching a capital market radio, we will continue, because we know that it is not enough.

“We will continue to educate Nigerians onto the last milestone to make people understand and know the value of proper investment.”

The director-general urged Nigerians who want to invest to make sure they verify the registration status of investment schemes from the SEC.

Agama reiterated that the commission has taken several actions against Ponzi schemes in the country, resulting in the imprisonment of culprits.

He added that the SEC is collaborating with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to rid the country of “unscrupulous individuals who have malicious intentions towards citizens”.