Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has reopened money laundering cases against 13 former governors and some former ministers, with the amounts involved running into over N853.8bn ($2.1bn).
The EFCC said the move was part of its efforts to fight corruption and recover looted funds from public officials who allegedly abused their positions.
The cases involve some of the most prominent politicians in the country, including two former Ekiti State governors, Kayode Fayemi and Ayo Fayose; former Zamfara State governor, Bello Matawalle; two former Enugu State governors, Chimaroke Nnamani and Sullivan Chime; former Nasarawa State governor, Abdullahi Adamu; former Kano State governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso; and former Bayelsa State governor, Timipre Sylva.
Others are former Rivers State governor, Peter Odili; former Abia State governor, Theodore Orji; former Gombe State governor, Danjuma Goje; former Sokoto State governor, Aliyu Wamako; and former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo established the EFCC in the early 2000s to tackle the endemic problem of graft in Africa’s most populous nation. Some of the cases date back to this period.
However, political interference, legal challenges, or lack of evidence stalled or abandoned many of the investigations.
Ola Olukoyede, who assumed office as the EFCC’s new chairman in 2023, said that he was determined to review and revisit all the high-profile cases and bring them to a logical conclusion.
In a statement on Friday, he said that they are committed to fighting corruption and recovering looted funds from public officials who have betrayed the trust of the people. They will follow the evidence and the law wherever they lead them.
Moreover, some civil society groups and anti-corruption activists welcome the EFCC’s renewed efforts and urge the agency to show more results and hold the culprits accountable.
“We commend the EFCC for reopening these cases and we urge them to pursue them diligently and transparently. We also call on the judiciary to cooperate and expedite the trials of these cases. The Nigerian people deserve to see justice done and their money returned,” said Lanre Suraju, the chairman of the Human and Environmental Development Agenda, a non-governmental organization.
Some of the former governors and ministers have denied any wrongdoing and accused the EFCC of witch-hunting and political persecution. In addition, they said they were ready to face the charges and clear their names in court.
The EFCC said it had also recently commenced the probe of some former ministers, Olu Agunloye (power, mines and steel), and Sadiya Umar-Farouk (humanitarian affairs), over alleged frauds involving $6bn and N37.1bn respectively.
Agunloye and Umar-Farouq served under former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari, respectively.
The EFCC is also probing the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, and the embattled Coordinator of the suspended National Social Investment Programme Agency, Halima Shehu, over alleged N81.6bn fraud uncovered in the ministry.
In conclusion, the EFCC said it was investigating the chief executive officers of several banks, civil servants, and contractors in connection with the massive fraud in the ministry.
According to the organization, corruption remains a major challenge for Nigeria, affecting its economic growth, social development, and democratic stability.
Source: PunchÂ
