The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has so far recovered over N201 billion from oil firms defaulting on royalties to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the 3 per cent statutory payment to the Niger Delta Development Commission.
The Chairman of the Commission, Abdulrasheed Bawa, stated this while appearing at the Ministerial Media Briefing organized by the Presidential Communications Team at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Thursday.
He said the sum of N30 billion has been transferred to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Bawa explained: “Here are some of the things we have done in indirect recoveries in November 2022. We recovered $354m for the NUPRC in terms of royalties that one of the oil companies has not paid. Our investigations led to that recovery.
“For the recoveries that we’re making for NDDC, for instance, between now and probably next week, we’ll transfer to them about N30bn and about $30m.
“These are recoveries we have made from oil companies that have refused to pay the 3% statutory payment to NDDC,” he explained.
While declining to identify the companies involved, he added: “It is only from one company that the $354m was recovered. I have forgotten the period, but it is an investigation done by our Lagos command, and we have evidence of payment that the said company made. Because of the sensitivity of some of these things, we will leave it at that.”
The EFCC boss also said that the commission has paid the sum of N136 billion into the Proceeds of Crime Account (POCA) with President Muhammadu Buhari approving that the money be channeled into the implementation of critical infrastructure.
He gave the breakdown of the amount to include N120billion, $29million, €6.6million and about £1.1million. The naira equivalent of the funds amounts to about N136,651,505,114.
Bawa said: “I want to state here that the POCA, which is the Proceeds of Crime Act, 2022, mandates that all relevant agencies must open what is called the Confiscated Assets and Properties Account in naira and foreign currencies and that all finally forfeited funds that belong to the federal government should now go into that account. And before, we had to pay the money into a designated account.
“But with POCA, this is where we now keep the different government assets recovered. And we have carried out an audit. From our EFCC recovery account, we paid N120billion and $29million, about €6.6million, and about £1.1million into that.
“And the President has sanctioned that all those monies should be utilised to provide critical infrastructure in the country. So the funds will be used for the completion of the Abuja-Kano expressway, the second Niger bridge, and the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, among other funds that the federal government is getting.”
Similarly, he said the Commission has recovered the sum of N30 billion from the corruption activities surrounding the suspended Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), Idris Ahmed.
Recall that the Commission is currently prosecuting him over alleged N109 billion fraud.
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He also revealed that over 3,615 convictions were recorded within the period, affirming that the administration is serious about its anti-corruption programme.
According to him, “in the first full year of the current administration, the EFCC recorded only 195 convictions, that was 2016, in 2017, EFCC recorded 186, we went down; in 2018 we recorded 312 convictions, in 2019, we recorded 1280 convictions.
:It went up with over 312 percent; in 2022, we had COVID so we went down to 976, last year (2021) which was part of my administration, we recorded an unprecedented 2220 convictions and this year, even though it has not ended, we have so far recorded 3615 convictions, unprecedented.
“The figures showing convictions that the EFCC has secured this year alone, are more than the convictions the Commission has recorded from inception up to 2020.
“This is so because of the effort we have put in, the support the government is giving us and also the good working relationship that we have with the Judiciary, as well as so many things that we have been doing and the government has been backing us to do so as an institution. That is why you can see the success, this is where we are now and it is going to get better.”
The EFCC boss announced that following the nationwide auction of forfeited automobiles, it will be followed by the disposal of over 150 houses to interested buyers.
Bawa assured that by the time the Special Control Unit against Money Laundering (SCMUL) becomes fully operational, it will be difficult for money to be laundered in the country.
Responding to insinuations that the EFCC could be a tool in the hands of some influential individuals, Bawa argued that the agency is independent enough to investigate the suspended Attorney-General, Ahmed Idris, over a N109bn money laundering case, noting that the investigation led to the recovery of over N30billion.
He stated: “The EFCC is independent; nobody tells us what to do or investigate, how to investigate, or what to cover and what not to cover. No!
“One of the last major investigations we did was that we arrested the Accountant-General of the Federation. The Accountant-General of the Federation was arrested. Out of those fraudulent activities discovered, the EFCC has recovered over N30bn, and we’re already prosecuting them.”
