The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has described as unacceptable and uncharitable, comments made by some Nigerian citizens regarding its recent record breaking recovery.
The anti-graft agency’s spokesman, Dele Oyewale, stated this in a statement on Tuesday.
TheFact Daily had reported that the EFCC made its largest single asset recovery since inception in 2003, after Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie’s Monday, December 2, 2024 ruling on a final forfeiture of the estate on Plot 109 Cadastral Zone C09, Lokogoma District, Abuja, said to be owned by “a former top brass of the government”.
While some Nigerians praised the agency’s efforts, others criticised the lack of transparency regarding the identity of the estate’s promoters.
The EFCC dismissed these criticisms, arguing that it would be inappropriate to disclose names while criminal investigations are ongoing and no direct ownership evidence has been established.
Specifically, activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, had accused the anti-graft agency of cover-up. He noted that while EFCC is always eager to publish the names and other identities of suspects arrested by its operatives for internet fraud, it decided to protect the owner of the estate who is involved in even a more humongous theft of national resources.
The Commission said the allegation of a cover up of the identity of the promoters of the estate stands logic on the head in the sense that the proceedings for the forfeiture of the Estate were in line with Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud Act which is a civil proceeding that allows for action-in-rem rather than action-in-personam.
“The latter allows legal actions against a property and not an individual, especially in a situation of an unclaimed property. This Act allows you to take up a forfeiture proceeding against a chattel that is not a juristic person. This is exactly what the Commission did in respect of the estate”, Oyewale stated.
EFCC further explained that investigations revealed the company linked to the estate had denied ownership, prompting the Commission to seek a court order for final forfeiture. The Federal Capital Territory High Court granted this order on December 2, 2024, following a comprehensive legal process supported by actionable intelligence.
While expressing disappointment in the activist not being concerned about the systemic lassitude and unhelpful permissiveness that allowed such a monstrous corrupt act in the first instance, the EFCC urged Nigerians to “gear up more against lapses and loopholes in our system that continue to make the nation vulnerable to corrupt tendencies”.
The commission reiterated its commitment to safeguarding the financial space of the nation against manipulators and organised brigandage, emphasising that it “is unwavering in its no-sacred-cow approach to every matter and together we will make Nigeria greater”.
