The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission says it made its highest funds recovery in 2021 from its Lagos Zonal Command, followed by Abuja, where its headquarters is located; Kaduna Zonal Command and Port Harcourt Zonal Command.
According to the April edition of EFCC Alert, the monthly e-magazine published by the media unit of the commission, in 2021 alone, the EFCC recovered from Lagos N70.31bn, $9.28m, £21,500, 4.06 Bitcoin and 0.09 Ethereum, which is a popular digital token.
At its headquarters in Abuja, the commission said it recovered N67.24bn, $375.66m, £1.15m, €155,251.76.
Also, in Kaduna Command, the commission recovered N3.33bn and $13,685; in the Port Harcourt Command, it said it recovered N2.14bn and $125,077; in Sokoto Zonal Command, it recovered N1.92bn, $56,950 and £4,075; in Kano Zonal Command, it recovered N1.78bn, $194,098 and SAR1.72m.
From its Benin Zonal Command, it recovered N972.05m, $49,240 and £735; in Enugu Zonal Command, it recovered N768.2m, $22,735 and AED50; in Ibadan Zonal Command, it recovered N325.52m, $383,385, £2,670, €995, 1,400 Canadian Dollar, 1.3BTC and ZAR1, 900.
Furthermore, in Gombe Zonal Command, it said it recovered N388.59m and $1,500; in Uyo Zonal Command, it recovered N234m and $357,000; in Maiduguri Zonal Command, it made N970.42m; in Makurdi Zonal Command, it recovered N121.35m; and in Ilorin Zonal Command, it recovered N240.96m and $7,161.
The commission noted that since it was established 19 years ago, it had continued to set the pace for law enforcement agencies, saying it had raised the bar in conviction records, assets recovered from the corrupt and corruption-prevention strategies.
“No agency of government has contributed to the development of law in Nigeria in the last 10 years than the commission,” EFCC Chairman, AbdulRasheed Bawa, added.
On the trajectory of the convictions secured so far, it said, “The EFCC secured 976 convictions in 2020; 1,280 in 2019, and 314 in 2018. Going memory lane, it was a humble beginning with 68 convictions in 2010 and 67 recorded in 2011.
“The Commission then revved it up to 87, 117 and 126, in 2012, 2013 and 2014 respectively. There was a drop in 2015, with 103 convictions secured. However, 2016 witnessed an improvement, with 194 convictions. Yet another drop was witnessed in 2017 as it fell short by five, to stay at 189 convictions.
“But, in all ramifications, the 2021 record of 2,220 (convictions) can well be described as “a significant upsurge”, which has no doubt placed the EFCC on a pedestal of a pacesetter.
“This also reflects in the mind-boggling sums of N152,088,698,751.64; $386,220,202.84; £1,182,519.75; €156,246.76; 1,723,310.00 Saudi Riyal; 1,900.00 South African Rand, and 1,400.00 Canadian Dollars recovered from the corrupt in the society.”