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EFCC collaborate with Int’l partners in UK to track stolen funds
By Francesca Hangeior.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has teamed up with international partners in the United Kingdom to track and recover stolen funds.
The collaboration was announced at the 41st International Symposium on Economic Crime held at Jesus College, Cambridge, where EFCC officials are participating alongside global experts.
The symposium, themed “Suspect Assets,” focuses on asset tracing, recovery, forfeiture, and associated issues.
According to EFCC’s Secretary, Mohammed Hammajoda, who led the Nigerian delegation, the partnership aims to tackle threats posed by fraudsters and recover proceeds of crime.
He explained that the EFCC’s participation in the symposium highlights Nigeria’s commitment to combating economic crime and recovering stolen funds.
Dr. Umar Bello, Head of the Strategic Intelligence Analysis Unit at EFCC, identified major problems in tracking suspect wealth.
He said, “The major problems are third-party money laundering, trade-based money laundering, concealment of beneficial ownership, and excessive use of cash transactions to obscure illicit sources of funds.
“To break these jinxes, effective case management principles should be adopted to identify suspects’ wealth in the financial system.
“There is an overarching need for multilateral collaboration among agencies involved in asset tracing to strengthen their officials in dealing with the complexities of suspect assets.”
Justice John Tosho, Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Nigeria, shared the country’s successes in forfeiture of assets and recovery of stolen funds, highlighting efforts to ensure fraudsters do not retain proceeds of crime.
“We are making considerable efforts to ensure that fraudsters don’t get away with the proceeds of their crime,” he assured.
Meanwhile, Prof. Barry Rider, Founder and Executive Director of Jesus College, Cambridge, emphasized the importance of addressing suspect wealth.
His words, “The symposium focuses on a raft of concerns relating to the identification, interdiction, and control of suspect wealth, whether this constitutes criminal property, unexplained wealth, or wealth possessed by those we don’t like.
“And, perhaps for the stability and security of our economies, rather more importantly, the impact—direct and indirect—of such interventions on the rest of us, and in particular our financial institutions and their advisers.”
The event brought together academics, judges, lawyers, investigators, public affairs experts, government officials, policymakers, and law enforcement officers from around the world.
Topics under discussion include identifying suspect wealth, pursuing suspect wealth in cyberspace, and unexplained wealth.
Other topics being discussed include sanctions and suspect wealth, FATF grey listing, and prosecuting high-profile individuals for corruption.
Monthly disbursements to the federal, states and local government areas dropped for the third consecutive time yesterday. The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) shared N1.58 trillion to the three tiers for March
The committee announced N2. 411 trillion as the total revenue generated in March at its April meeting in Abuja yesterday.
The total distributable revenue comprised N931.325 billion from statutory sources, N593.750 billion from Value Added Tax (VAT), N24.971 billion from the Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL) and N28.711 billion from Exchange Difference revenue.
According to the communiqué issued by FAAC, the gross revenue available for March stood at N2.411 trillion. The deductions for cost of collection stood N85.376 billion, while N747.180 billion went to transfers, interventions and refunds accounted consumed.
Despite the lower net revenue available for distribution, the March statutory revenue of N1.718 trillion showed an increase of N65.422 billion over the N1.653 trillion received in February.
However, revenue from Value Added Tax (VAT) dropped to N637.618 billion last month from the February figure of N654.456 billion – a decrease of N16.838 billion.
From the total distributable sum of N1.578 trillion, the federal government received N528.696 billion; states collectively got N530.448 billion, while the 774 local government areas received N387.002 billion. Additionally, N132.611 billion – representing 13 per cent of mineral revenue – was allocated to oil-producing states as derivation revenue.
The breakdown of the N931.325 billion statutory revenue shows that the federal government took N422.485 billion, the states got N214.290 billion and N165.209 billion shared to the councils. The oil-producing states received N129.341 billion from this component as derivation revenue.
From the VAT pool of N593.750 billion, the federal government got N89.063 billion, states got N296.875 billion and the local government areas got N207.813 billion.
For the EMTL revenue of N24.971 billion, the federal government took N3.746 billion, states received N12.485 billion and local government areas went home with N8.740 billion.
In the case of Exchange Difference revenue of N28.711 billion, the federal government received N13.402 billion, states N6.798 billion and local government areas was allocated N5.241 billion. A further N3.270 billion from this revenue was distributed as 13 per cent derivation to oil-producing states.
A deeper look into the revenue trends shows that while Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT) and Companies Income Tax (CIT) increased significantly during the month under review, several other key sources witnessed declines.
These include Oil and Gas royalty, EMTL, VAT, Excise Duty, Import Duty, and Common External Tariff (CET) Levies.
A viral video showing several Nigerian police officers allegedly receiving N5,000 each from a Chinese man and his family has sparked widespread outrage and renewed concerns over corruption and ethics in the Nigeria Police Force.
The footage, which surfaced online, shows uniformed officers lining up as a Chinese man hands them cash gifts.
The incident has drawn sharp condemnation from the public and human rights advocates, who described it as disgraceful and damaging to the image of the police.
When contacted by Vanguard, Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said he was unaware of the viral video or the incident.
Similarly, the Lagos State Police Command distanced itself from the footage. Its spokesperson, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, clarified that the incident did not occur in Lagos, contrary to claims circulating online.
Public figures have also weighed in. Omoyele Sowore, former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), described the video as “shameful” and called for the removal of the IGP.
“This is why I keep saying illegal IGP Kayode Egbetokun must leave the police force. It is the shame of the nation,” he wrote in a Facebook post.
Popular social commentator and human rights activist Martins Victor Otse, also known as VeryDarkBlackMan, called the act “disgraceful, disrespectful, and degrading,” urging the police leadership to address the matter transparently.
The incident has intensified calls for accountability, with many Nigerians demanding disciplinary action and systemic reforms to restore public confidence in the police force.
The Federal Government has declared Friday, April 18, and Monday, April 21, 2025, as public holidays to mark Good Friday and Easter Monday.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on Tuesday.
He emphasised the importance of embodying the virtues of the sacrifice and love displayed by Jesus Christ, who had to die for the redemption of man, while greeting Christians on the joyous occasion.
In a statement by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr Magdalene Ajani, the minister called on Nigerians to use the holiday period to pray for the peace, unity, and stability of the nation.
He reassured citizens of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to the Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to foster national growth and development.
“Furthermore, he encouraged Nigerians to extend love and goodwill to their neighbours through acts of kindness and generosity.
“The minister wished all Christians a blissful Easter celebration and extended warm holiday greetings to all Nigerians,” the statement added.
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