Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has refuted claims that its officials misappropriated assets forfeited by Godwin Emefiele, the former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, and his associates.
Gatekeepers News reports that in a statement released on Wednesday, EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale dismissed an online report alleging the agency’s involvement in sharing the forfeited assets.
Oyewale emphasised that the EFCC’s standard practice is to manage forfeited assets transparently, contrary to the allegations. He attributed the false report to ignorance and malicious intentions.
The statement reads:
“The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, denounces as false, the report by the online news platform, Sahara Reporters, alleging that N54billion forfeited by some associates of a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr. Godwin Emefiele was “shared” among certain ministers and aides of President Tinubu, in collaboration with EFCC officials”.
No official of the Commission was, or has ever been involved in the “sharing” of any proceeds of forfeited assets. The notion of “sharing of proceeds of forfeited assets” is strange to the Commission.
The sensational report which was promoted ostensibly to scandalise the agencies mentioned, betrays the author’s ignorance of the existing asset recovery and management framework. Both the EFCC Act, 2004 and the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Act, 2022, are unambiguous in terms of the accounts into which proceeds of forfeited assets are to be paid.
There is no “platform” for the “sharing of forfeited assets”; the notion itself being infantile. Otherwise, Sahara reporters would not have withheld information about when and how the sharing took place and who got what. The TRUTH is, it simply did not happen!
Dishing fiction to the public as news is the height of irresponsibility and EFCC will not tolerate any attempt to defame its hard-earned reputation.
The public is enjoined to trash the lie told by Sahara Reporters.”
