Suspended Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, has said that some of the forfeited assets recovered by the anti-graft agency were auctioned to ministries and government agencies.
He said some of these agencies had not paid for the vehicles but there was an arrangement that the money would be deducted from their financial allocation.
Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, had accused the EFCC under Magu of failing to properly account for recovered loot and assets.
The AGF alleged that Magu sold some of the recovered assets to his associates.
But Magu, in a letter addressed to the Justice Ayo Salami-led panel titled, ‘Re: Alleged Case of Conspiracy, Enrichment, Abuse of Public Office and Other Infractions,’ explained how some of the recovered vehicles were auctioned.
He listed the State House, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Federal Inland Revenue Service and National Directorate of Employment as a part of agencies that benefited from recovered vehicles through special auction with presidential approval.
“On allocation of vehicles to some government agencies through special auction with presidential approval. The beneficiary agencies are: the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management of which the valued price is to be debited from their allocation; State House, National Commission for Refugees and Displaced Persons; Federal Inland Revenue Service and National Directorate of Employment.
“The commission presently has presidential approval to dispose over 450 forfeited vehicles located in Lagos and Abuja. The vehicles have been valued by the National Automotive Council Valuers and the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing. But no sale/disposal has been conducted yet,” Magu stated.
Magu said some permanently forfeited properties were allocated to agencies including the Voice of Nigeria, National Directorate of Employment while some properties under interim forfeiture were rented out to the Nigerian Army and the Federal Ministry of Finance.
“Real properties finally forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria and allocated to some agencies for official use in line with the Presidential approval are: Voice of Nigeria, National Directorate of Employment, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, North East Development Commission and Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate.
“Properties under interim forfeiture order are rented by the following government agencies: Nigerian Army, Federal Ministry of Finance, Fiscal Responsibility Commission, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission and Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria.
“Other agencies of government that have approached the commission to rent properties under interim forfeiture order include: National Human Rights Commission and National Council for Arts and Culture,” he added.
