The Senate has kicked against the transfer of forfeited assets to the Office of Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The EFCC’s Director of Operations, Abdulkarim Chukkol, had, while appearing before the committee during the budget defence session on Monday, said all forfeited assets were transferred to the AGF’s office in line with the policy directive issued in 2019 for proper management.
Members of the Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption faulted the directive, while they expressed displeasure over meagre allocations to anti-graft agencies.
Senator Abba Moro (PDP, Benue) who faulted the rationale for the transfer of forfeited assets to AGF, said the assets needed to be disposed off for government to raise money to finance the budget.
“I don’t see management acumen in AGF that is not available in EFCC,” he said
Meanwhile, the chairman of the committee, Senator Suleiman Kwari, said the proceeds of crime bill currently before the Senate would address the issue.
Senator Yusuf Yusuf (APC, Taraba) wondered how N31billion could be enough to fight corruption in a country of over 200 million people.
There was the need for the EFCC to have offices in all the sensorial districts across the country, Senator Smart Adeyemi (APC, Kogi), said.
He noted that this would make it easier for the anti-graft agency to get first-hand information.
Earlier, the EFCC’s Director of Finance, Mohammed Joda, said N31.3billion was proposed for the agency in 2022, of which N25.8billion was earmarked for personnel cost, N3.6billion for overhead and N1.8billion for capital expenditure, Daily Trust reports.
The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), headed by Mr Tukur Modibo, lamented the N350million capital fund allocated to his agency in the 2022 budget.
Modibo appealed to the Senate for an upward review of the allocation to enable the agency to carry out its mandate without any hindrance.
The agency got N4billion for personnel cost and N1billion for overhead.
Also, the chairman of Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Professor Bolaji Owasanoye (SAN), said N12.9billion was allocated to his agency in 2022.
