EFCC recovers N152bn, $386m in 2021

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in continuation of the review of its operational activities for 2021, said it recovered the aggregate sum of N152,088,698,751.64 (One Hundred and Fifty-two Billion, Eighty-eight Million, Six Hundred and Ninety-eight Thousand, Seven Hundred and Fifty-one Naira, Sixty-four Kobo)

The antigraft agency also recovered $386,220,202.84 (Three Hundred and Eighty-six Million, Two Hundred and Twenty Thousand, Two Hundred and Two Dollars, Eighty-four Cent), £1, 182,519.75 (One Million, One Hundred and Eighty-two Thousand, Five Hundred and Nineteen Pounds, €156,246.76 (One Hundred and Fifty-six Thousand, Two Hundred and Forty-six Euro), 1,723,310.00 Saudi Riyal, 1,900.00 South African Rand, and 1, 400.00 Canadian Dollar between January and December 2021.

EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, in a statement on Monday, said the recovery basket also included a digital currency component with 5, 36957319 Bitcoin and 0.09012 Ethereum.

Recall that the Commission also recorded convictions of 2, 220 across the Commands in the same year under review. The Abdulrasheed Bawa led by the management of the EFCC has assured that there is no hiding place for the looters of the nation’s treasury.

Breakdown of the report by the EFCC showed that Abuja headquarters operation dominated the recoveries with N67,249,744,994.89, $375,662,223.59, and £1,151,539.75.

It was closely followed by the Lagos command which recovered N70,315,611,260.52, $9,286,497.83 and £21,500.00.

The Kaduna zonal command emerged third in terms of Naira recoveries with a total sum of N3,339,405,723.93 while the Ibadan zonal command took the same position in terms of dollar recoveries to the tune of $387,385.00.

Uwujaren said giving an overview of the performance, the executive chairman of the commission, Abdulrasheed Bawa, explained that the monies included direct and indirect recoveries for the different tiers of government (federal, state and local governments), corporate organisations and individuals (victims of crime) within the year under review.

He commended the personnel of the Commission for the performance while urging them to redouble their efforts to ensure that perpetrators of economic and financial crimes are denied the benefit of the proceeds of crime.