Corruption: How EFCC impounds private jets, recovers over N980bn tax payers’ money

*Pledges to expose the treasury looters through legal prosecution soon

* Benin Zonal Office recovers N300million, $7,000, exotic cars, others

*Commission returns N6billion recovered from Rochas Okorocha-led administration to Imo State Government

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

In its continued drive to tackle headlong the endemic corruption in the Nigerian system, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has related how it impounded many private jets belonging to some powerful and influential Nigerians implicated in the looting of public funds in the last years.

Mr. Ibrahim Magu, Acting Chairman of EFCC and Commissioner of Police, disclosed this at a media briefing Thursday, June 11 to mark this year’s Democracy Day in Abuja, FCT.

ConsumerConnect reports the Commission revealed that within the last five years, it has seized many proceeds of crimes included estates, ships, petrol stations, schools, hotels, shopping malls and pieces of jewellery.

According to Magu, the EFCC would soon expose the suspects behind the looting by charging them to court.

“As you all know in your regular reporting, the EFCC is not only ahead, it is clearly so. We are on course in all the cases we are prosecuting. Our scorecard in the area of conviction is 2,240 in the last five years.

“We have recovered assets in excess of N980billion and quite a large array of non-monetary assets like properties, estates, private jets, oil vessels, filling stations, schools; hotels; trucks and other automobiles; pieces of jewellery; plazas, shopping malls, electronics, among others,” announced the Acting EFCC Chairman.

Meanwhile, it was gathered that the Benin Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission also announced that it had recovered over N300 million 7,000 US Dollars, a 4-bedroom bungalow, a filling station, and exotic cars in the last 365 days.

A. H. Danmusa, Acting Zonal Head of EFCC, announced this at a press conference in Benin City, Edo State capital, Thursday.

Danmusa said: “The Benin Zonal Office which has jurisdiction over Edo, Delta and Ondo States, received a total of 1,246 petitions out of which 788 were found worthy and approved for investigation, a total of 132 cases were forwarded to the Nigerian Police and other sister agencies, as matters raised were not under our jurisdiction.

“We are glad to inform you that within the period under review, a total of 226 cases were filed in court.

According to him, “due to our diligent investigation and prosecution, we secured 88 convictions, while the Zone recovered the sum of N303,828,641.00 and 7,000 Dollars, N274,507,723.00 has been returned and restituted to the victims of the crime.”

Likewise, the EFCC said it had returned about N6 billion to the Imo State Government from the N7.9billion recovered from the former Governor (Sen.) Rochas Okorocha-led administration.

Mr. Usman Imam, Zonal Head of EFCC, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, disclosed this Thursday during a briefing on the activities of the Commission in the last six months.

While declaring that the Commission would prosecute Sen. Okorocha at the conclusion of the ongoing investigation on the alleged embezzlement of state funds, Mr. Imam stated: “The Commission also noted that it had already returned over N2.7 billion from the N7.9 billion recovered from different bank accounts and assets belonging to Okorocha.

“All the monies that were released to Imo State Government were the monies recovered, about N7.9 billion we told were earlier recovered.