EFCC denies sharing ‘N54bn recovered from Emefiele’s associates’

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has denied a report that N54 billion forfeited by associates of Godwin Emefiele, former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), was shared among some ministers.

The report had alleged that the sharing was facilitated by officials of the anti-graft agency.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Dele Oyewale, EFCC spokesperson, said there are procedures for asset recovery and management.

Oyewale said proceeds of crime are paid to a designated account which cannot be accessed by government officials.

“The EFCC denounces as false, the report by the online news platform 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 Bola Tinubu, in collaboration with EFCC officials,” the statement reads.

“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, the news medium 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.”