Pelumi Olajengbesi, a human rights lawyer based in Abuja, has called on the federal government to allocate an estate recently forfeited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to deserving civil servants.
Gatekeepers News reports that on Monday, the EFCC announced the final forfeiture of an estate situated in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), marking it as the agency’s largest recovery since its establishment in 2003.
According to Dele Oyewale, the EFCC spokesperson, the estate spans 150,500 square meters and comprises 753 units of duplexes.
While the identity of the individual who forfeited the property has not been disclosed, Oyewale indicated that it belonged to a “former top brass of the government.”
Olajengbesi has praised this achievement as a significant milestone in asset recovery, commending the EFCC’s intelligence gathering and thorough prosecution efforts as exemplary. He further emphasized that these forfeited properties should be allocated to deserving doctors to enhance their morale and recognise their contributions.
“This is a boost for the fight against corruption and asset recovery which is a fulcrum for Nigeria’s anti-graft war,” Olajengbesi said.
“The intelligence gathering and diligent prosecution of the EFCC team is most admirable.
“This successful final forfeiture sends a message to corrupt politicians and their cronies diverting public funds to amass wealth for themselves.
“The EFCC should not auction off the forfeited properties but complete them and hand them over to doctors and other deserving civil servants to encourage them in their service to humanity.”
