The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, on Tuesday locked horns over non-disclosure of the identity of an alleged former government official who owned the forfeited 753 units of duplexes in Abuja.
While Sowore said the anti-graft agency was doing Public Relations (PR) for those whom he described as “criminals”, the EFCC said the activist was unpatriotic for not joining other Nigerians in commending the commission for the “landmark recovery”.
Daily Trust reports that the commission had on Monday announced that Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory High Court forfeited an Abuja estate measuring 150,500 square metres containing about 753 units of duplexes and other apartments to the government.
The commission said the forfeited property, located on Plot 109 Cadastral Zone C09, Lokogoma District, Abuja, belonged to an undisclosed government official, adding that it was the single largest asset recovery since its inception in 2003.
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But reacting to the non-disclosure of the owner’s identity, Sowore lampooned the commission for not revealing the identity of the owner, saying they are afraid of big thieves.
“What is the name of the ‘former top brass’ with 753 duplexes seized by the EFCC in Abuja? The @officialEFCC is now doing PR for thieves. They seized this large estate with 753 duplexes from a single individual in Abuja but can’t mention his or her name.
“If it is Yahoo boys, they will line laptops and Nokia phones in front of them and send their photos globally even before their trial is commenced. The same EFCC is now AFRAID of BIG Thieves!”, Sowore wrote in a post on his official social media handles.
In a swift reaction, the EFCC said what it did was in line with the laws that established the commission, saying it did not mention the name of the owner because substantive criminal investigation on the matter was ongoing.
The spokesman of the anti-graft agency, Dele Oyewale, told journalists that it would be unprofessional of the EFCC to go to town by mentioning names of individuals whose identities were not directly linked to any title document of the properties.
Oyewale said, “EFCC is following with keen interest, the flurry of reactions to its record-breaking recovery of 753 duplexes and other apartments on Plot 109 Cadastral Zone C09, Lokogoma District, Abuja.
“The commentaries of reform-minded Nigerians to the Commission’s painstaking efforts in securing the final forfeiture of the Estate to the Federal Government of Nigeria, are appreciated.
“However, the denigration of such efforts by Omowole Sowore and his think-same and act-same, is unacceptable and grossly un-charitable.
“The allegation of cover up of the identity of the promoters of the Estate stands logic on the head in the sense that the proceedings for the forfeiture of the Estate were in line with Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud Act which is a civil proceeding that allows for action-in-rem rather than action-in-personam.
“The former allows legal actions against a property and not an individual, especially in a situation of an unclaimed property. This Act allows you to take up a forfeiture proceeding against a chattel that is not a juristic person. This is exactly what the Commission did in respect of the Estate.
“The proceedings that yielded the final forfeiture of the Estate were products of actionable intelligence available to the Commission.
“The company flagged by our investigations denied ownership of the Estate following publications made in leading national newspapers.
“On the basis of this, the Commission approached the court for an order of final forfeiture which Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory High Court granted on Monday, December 2, 2024.
“The expectation of the EFCC from citizen Sowore is a patriotic appreciation of its efforts in securing such a landmark forfeiture. It is shocking that the activist is not concerned about the systemic lassitude and unhelpful permissiveness that allowed such a monstrous corrupt act in the first instance.
“Nigerians should gear up more against lapses and loopholes in our system that continue to make the nation vulnerable to corrupt tendencies. The EFCC will continue to safeguard the financial space of the nation against manipulators and organised brigandage.”
He added that the EFCC is unwavering in its no-sacred-cow approach to every matter and together we will make Nigeria greater.
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