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EFCC, bidders disagree over car auction
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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has tackled the protesting bidders alleging irregularities in the car auctioning recently held in different locations across the country.
This development is coming on the heels of the conclusion of the exercise, which lasted between Monday, January 20 and Monday, January 27, 2025.
Upon conclusion, bidders shared screenshots on various social media showing outrageous amounts as bids, leaving room for many of them to back out on some of the deals.
The bidding ranged from N1 billion to N330 billion for mid-range and averagely sophisticated Lexus jeeps and SUVs.
Reacting, one user who identified as Daniel Momoh on X.com shared his frustrations, saying, “Dear @officialEFCC, it is a pity that you and your auctioneers cheated us out of a legitimate process we engaged in yesterday where I won four different vehicles, namely: Toyota Venza – 2,670,000; Lexus ES350 – 2,000,000; Lexus IS250 – 2,520,000 and Toyota – Camry – 1,500,000.
“I woke up this morning to see that my name has been replaced with another name, which blocked me from assessing the website via the account I opened before the bidding.”
Another user, who identified as #Kennylekel, wrote, “EFCC, the website for the official auction for the cars, suddenly brought out error 502 about 43 minutes to the end of the auction!! We hope it is not intentional to select your preferred bidders. I have been bidding since 11 am. Kindly respond.
One CIA on X.com also said, “This is just to fulfil all righteousness and to do some damage control. The cars listed here have been sold to their staff and cronies for very small sums. If you eventually buy it over from them, you’ll also be suspected and arrested for being a fraudster.”
“The auction you conducted yesterday was a sham! In a bid to rig the system, the incompetent auctioneers you engaged allowed a bid of N350,000,000,000 for a Lexus RX 350 Jeep. It’s not a glitch. It’s a deliberate attempt to gate-keep others from bidding,” a user who identifies as Baron El’Sama opined.
Also, a user on X.com said, “I’ve just seen magic happen right before my eyes. A C300 with lot number ADC/BEN/AU/98 that I bid on and won at N5,570,001 just vanished from the auction site. EFCC, una well done.”
In his remark, a user on Facebook who identifies as Aromeh Joshua said, “EFCC auction: Checked two of the Lagos Auctioneers, and their website is (Resource Limit is Reached) temporarily unavailable. A few were hurriedly put together.”
Another user who wrote with name, Hafiz Bawa, on X.com wrote, “Dear @officialEFCC, I am reporting alleged fraudulent activity earlier today during the motor vehicle auction that raises serious concerns about fairness and integrity. It appears that the highest bidder and a “short bidder” colluded to manipulate the auction.
“The highest bidder placed excessively high bids to inflate the price, knowing they would not pay. Under the auction terms, this allowed the short bidder, who had the second-highest bid, to win at an inflated price. This tactic disadvantaged legitimate bidders and exploited the rules, undermining the auction’s fairness. I urge an immediate investigation into this matter.”
“I have seen seven people come out here to accuse the @officialEFCC of committing fraud through this auction. I have yet to see anyone come out to say they actually got the car they bid for. And yet, the institution isn’t addressing the crime that has been carried out. We need to do better,” one user who identifies as Tchalla Kingsman noted.
“Those that are alleging non-transparency are just being economical with the truth. The auction process was electronic and open bidding. There is no way of any extraneous influence or intervention. The allgation is unfounded, it can neither be supported by fact nor logic. Everybody that participated gave a remark that they were able to get; some even said they were outbid.”
Reacting to the allegations in a telephone conversation, EFCC’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, said the agency has no hand in the process because the auction procedure was handed over to government-licenced auctioneers.
He maintained that some people could have bid outrageous money to frustrate the process, stressing that it might be deliberate sabotage.
“It is betweeen the auctioneers and the bidding public, it has nothing to do with us. We did not interfere in any of the processes at all,” he noted.
He further challenged the public to bring proof of compromise, adding that not even his close ones could get his influence to secure a vehicle in the auctioning process.
Recall that last week Monday, the commission listed over 850 cars forfeited to the Federal Government for auction across different locations in the country. (https://punchng.com/efcc-to-auction-850-recovered-vehicles/)
The cars, ranging from luxury vehicles to mid-range Toyota Camry, were recovered by the EFCC in the course of investigations into various financial crimes, including corruption, money laundering, and cybercrime.
EFCC explained that the auction was in line with the EFCC (Establishment) Act, 2004, Public Procurement Act, 2007 and the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery & Management) Act, 2022.
The auction, according to the statement, is scheduled to be held in various locations across the country, including Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Kano, and will be executed by the EFCC in collaboration with appointed auctioneers.
According to the statement, the commission has called on interested members of the public to participate in the auction, promising that the process will be transparent and fair.
The Nigerian Navy has intensified its crackdown on crude oil theft, arresting a vessel allegedly involved in illegal oil bunkering and taking 12 crew members into custody during an intelligence-led operation in Akwa Ibom State.
The operation, conducted under Operation DELTA SENTINEL, saw naval personnel intercept the vessel, MT FILIA, at the UTUE Terminal while it was allegedly siphoning crude oil from an oil well terminal jacket.
Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, said the successful operation followed credible intelligence generated through the Navy’s surveillance systems and continuous monitoring by its operational platforms.
He disclosed that preliminary investigations showed the vessel was carrying about 32.82 metric tonnes of fuel oil and 650 metric tonnes of crude oil without lawful authorisation or the required documentation.
According to him, the vessel, its 12 crew members and the recovered products have been taken into custody pending further investigation and possible prosecution.
Reacting to the development, the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, praised the officers and ratings who carried out the operation, describing their professionalism and vigilance as commendable.
He reaffirmed the Navy’s determination to stamp out crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism and other maritime crimes that continue to undermine Nigeria’s economy.
The Naval Chief said Operation DELTA SENTINEL has continued to deliver measurable results through intelligence-driven operations, robust surveillance and collaboration with other security agencies and key stakeholders.
Folorunsho recalled that between April and June 2026, the Navy recovered more than 4.7 million litres of petroleum products, dismantled 58 illegal refining sites, destroyed 239 dugout pits and 13 refining ovens, and arrested 91 suspects linked to crude oil theft.
He added that the sustained operations coincided with Nigeria’s crude oil production rising to 1.89 million barrels per day in July 2026, surpassing the country’s OPEC production quota.
The Nigerian Navy assured Nigerians that it would sustain operations aimed at protecting the nation’s oil and gas assets and urged members of the public to continue providing credible information to support the fight against maritime crimes.
The Nigerian Army has declared one of its personnel, Private Mohammed Yusuf Amutu, wanted over allegations that he unlawfully sold and supplied military uniforms to terrorists and other criminal elements.
The Army disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday by the Headquarters Nigerian Army Ordnance Corps (NAOC), saying the soldier, who was serving at the Nigerian Army Ordnance Kits Factory, allegedly absconded from his unit on June 3, 2026.
The statement, signed by the Assistant Director of Army Public Relations at the NAOC Headquarters, Major Oluwatope Dorcas Aluko, said preliminary investigations indicated that Amutu was allegedly involved in the unauthorised sale and distribution of military uniforms.
According to the Army, the soldier has been declared wanted by the appropriate military authorities, while efforts are ongoing to trace, arrest and subject him to a comprehensive investigation. It added that any disciplinary measures would be taken in accordance with existing military laws if the allegations are established.
“The Headquarters Nigerian Army Ordnance Corps has zero tolerance for misconduct, indiscipline, or any act capable of compromising the operational effectiveness, integrity and reputation of the Nigerian Army or threatening national security,” the statement said.
The Army stressed that any personnel found to have assisted terrorists, criminal groups or other non-state actors through the unauthorised sale, diversion or distribution of military uniforms, accoutrements or other controlled items would face the full weight of both military and civil laws.
It appealed to members of the public to assist security agencies with credible information that could lead to the arrest of the wanted soldier, urging anyone with useful information to report to the nearest military formation or other security agency.
The Army reiterated its commitment to accountability, professionalism and the safeguarding of military assets, assuring that all allegations of misconduct involving its personnel would be thoroughly investigated and that anyone found culpable would be held accountable in line with the law.
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) yesterday said human trafficking has evolved beyond sexual exploitation and forced labour into cyber-enabled scam operations, with tech-savvy young graduates now the fastest-growing group of victims.
Director-General of NAPTIP, Binta Bello, disclosed this at a press conference ahead of the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, themed “Trapped Behind the Scam.”
Bello said the agency rescued 156 trafficking victims between January and July, in addition to over 300 victims repatriated from Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire in 2025. She said NAPTIP has also disrupted several trafficking-linked scam centres nationwide.
According to her, young Nigerians, particularly skilled graduates, we’re being lured abroad with false job offers in IT, digital marketing, cryptocurrency trading, gaming and telecommunications.
On arrival, mostly in parts of Asia, their passports are seized and they are coerced through violence, debt bondage or psychological pressure into running online scams targeting victims worldwide.
The victims themselves become prisoners trapped behind computer screens, false promises, organised criminal networks, and fear, Bello said.
She said criminal networks now exploited social media, encrypted platforms, cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence to recruit and control victims, adding that large scam compounds operate mainly in Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos, with similar hubs emerging in Nigeria and other parts of Africa. Victims there are coerced into romance scams, crypto and investment frauds targeting victims in the U.S., UK, Canada and Ethiopia, she added.
Citing global data, Bello said over 300,000 people are trafficked into scam operations across Southeast Asia annually, generating an estimated $64 billion, with victims drawn from 66 countries.
On prosecutions, she said NAPTIP has secured 839 convictions since its establishment, including 47 recorded this year. She urged Nigerians to verify overseas job offers and avoid unofficial recruitment channels.
Also speaking, UNODC Country Representative, Cheikh Toure, said trafficking thrives where legitimate opportunities are scarce, noting that job seekers and young people are most vulnerable to exploitation. He called for stronger investment in youth skills development, job creation and inclusive economic growth as a frontline defence against trafficking, alongside law enforcement.
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