Recovered Loots Won’t Be Stolen, EFCC Boss Assures

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has assured Nigerians that it will never again allow recovered assets to be .

The Chairman of the Commission, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, gave the assurance during a visit to the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia, Kaduna State on Wednesday.

THE WHISTLER reports that the university was established using a forfeited asset recovered from Anthony Hassan, a former Director of Finance and Accounts at the Federal Ministry of Health, who was found to have used illicit public funds to acquire the institution.

A Federal High Court in Abuja had issued a final order of forfeiture in June 2024.

Olukoyede emphasized that the EFCC is committed to ensuring that recovered assets are used for the benefit of Nigerians.

“This is a testimony that good governance is a possibility in Nigeria,” he said.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has given us a marching order to go and ensure delivery of good governance and he has provided the leadership directly and indirectly, by actions and by words.”

The EFCC Chairman assured Nigerians that the Commission would ensure transparency in the management of recovered assets.

“Never in the history of this country will we allow recovered assets to be again. So, this is a testimony of accountability, it is a testimony of transparency, it is a testimony of judicious use of recovered assets,” he said.

Olukoyede explained that the EFCC has been directed by President Tinubu to hand over recovered assets to relevant ministries and agencies for utilization.

“We will ensure that recovered assets are used for the benefit of Nigerians.Just yesterday, I was in Bayelsa State to commission some projects. That ordinarily was not supposed to be in the mandate of the EFCC, but because those projects were built with proceeds of crime; from the money recovered from Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) strictly,” he said.

Speaking earlier, Senator Sunday Katung, representing Kaduna South Senatorial district, commended the EFCC for yielding to the request to grant the forfeited Nok University to be used as Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia.

“We are indeed grateful to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, and our Governor Senator Uba Sani for making the university become a reality. For us, the establishment of this university is like a state creation to us,” he said.

The Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Barnabas Qurix, also commended the EFCC Chairman for the visit and solicited for necessary support to enable the University to stand on its feet.

Recovered Loots Won’t Be Stolen, EFCC Boss Assures is first published on The Whistler Newspaper