Buhari orders EFCC to account for all the looted cash it has recovered from public officers

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has issued fresh orders to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) asking it to account for all funds that were stolen but recovered and paid into its accounts.

 

Since assuming office on May 29, President Buhari has made the fight against corruption his main priority and huge sums are believed to have been recovered from former government officials. Worried that such monies are not being accounted for, the president has ordered the EFCC to present details of how much it has recovered so far.

 

In addition, President Buhari has encouraged the EFCC not to be distracted by negative comments from some quarters about its operations, especially as they affect those who have been named in the now infamous $2.1b arms scandal. Former national security adviser Col Sambo Dasuki is at the centre of the arms scandal involving the disbursement of money budgeted for the military to fight Boko Haram.

 

A few days ago, the EFCC chairman Ibrahim  Magu, visited the presidential villa, where he was said to have had audience with President Buhari. It is believed that it was during this visit that he was given a fresh set of instructions, including a directive that he provide details of all monies recovered.

One presidency source said: “Mr President wanted a very clear picture regarding accountability and the exact amount of funds already recovered from some of those who were said to be making refunds to the coffers of the Federal Government of  Nigeria.”

 

It is also believed that at the meeting, the activities of the EFCC regarding the recovery of looted funds under Ibrahim Lamorde, its immediate past boss, were discussed. It is believed that Mr Lamorde, currently out of the country, may be asked to come back to properly account for recovered cash and the sale of properties that may have happened under his tenure.

 

Meanwhile, Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has expressed confidence in the ongoing war against corruption by the Buhari administration, even though he said the fight is going to be a hard one. According to the literary icon, the  practice of abandoning the fight against corruption half way, will not happen this time.

 

Professor Soyinka said: “We have never had a situation where we were faced not just by emergency but critical emergency with our children being kidnapped under our noses and we were helpless. Also soldiers were being sent to the war front to defend our essence and we were not backing them up.

 

“The fight against corruption in Nigeria is going to be a hard one. There is no question whatsoever that we are not where we were before this administration entered but we all have to be very careful and I have used this expression again and again that corruption fights back and the ardent fighters are those who are already within the cesspool of corruption and you can see that in the recent episode which I am not going to talk about, I am going to await a  certain letter which I am told to expect and I hope that the letter writer brings it to my Egba hideout and I will educate him."