WITH different officials of the Federal Government eagerly
beating their chest over how much has been recovered from former functionaries,
there is a growing confusion in Abuja over the actual amount already recovered.
In May 2016, Minister of Information, Mr. Lai Mohammed, said
government recovered N78.3 billion, $185 million, £3.5 million and €11,250.
In addition, he disclosed that 239 non-cash recoveries were
made with interim forfeiture amounting to N126 billion, $9 billion, £2.4
million and €303,399.
He also put anticipated repatriation of looted funds from
offshore sources at $321.3 million, £6.9m and €11,826, the minister added.
These figures are, however, different from those recently
given by acting chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr
Ibrahim Magu, late last year at the seventh session of the Conference of State
Parties to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption in Vienna, Austria.
According to Magu, EFCC monetary recoveries between May 2015
and October 20, 2017 were in excess of N738.9 billion, which is equivalent to
over $2.9 billion, adding “this does not include smaller currencies like
Durham, CRA and British Pound,” he added.
“Within this year alone, the commission recovered stolen
assets running into several millions of US dollars and billions in naira. This
include the sum of $43 million recovered from Deziani Allison-Madueke, Nigeria’s
former Minister of Petroleum and N2 billion spread in seven accounts within
three Nigerian banks laundered from the Federal Capital Territory Police
Command Salary Accounts,” he explained.
The variation of figures is apparently causing some confusion
in government as the Finance Minister, Mrs Kemi Adeosun has written a letter to
Magu, asking him to explain how much exactly the EFCC has recovered.
SOURCE: Tribune
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