A social rights organisation, Coalition of Worried Nigerian Citizens (WNC) has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to make public its findings on the alleged N7.5 billion contract scam in the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
The group in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday and signed by its convener, Comrade Moses Idika urged the EFCC not to let Nigerians down by sweeping the matter under the carpet.
According to the WNC, “It is of utmost importance that the EFCC must carry the Nigerian public along in the discharge of its duties, especially now that Nigerians are looking up to the commission to curb the ravaging corruption in public institutions. It is also pertinent that Nigerians see EFCC as working for the people and not a mere political tool to witch-hunt estranged political foes.”
The while raising questions over the silence of the EFCC even when the commission in its preliminary report on the matter had vowed to Nigerians that “the commission will prosecute every persons found guilty before the court in respect of the case.”
It will be recalled that the EFCC had in may alerted Nigerians of a contract scam in the NSCDC which had led to the questioning of the Commandant-General of the Corps, Ahmed Abubakar Audi and subsequent arrest of about 20 senior officers of the corps. The EFCC had also told Nigerians that it had recovered N1 billion of the stolen money. The anti-graft agency also alerted Nigerians that the Managing Director of three companies, ABSOLUTE SOLUTIONS, CERISE and MNT Limited which were indicted in the scam had refused to honour the invitation of the commission.
The full statement reads:
EFCC, WHAT IS THE UPDATE ON THE N7.5 BILLION CONTRACT SCAM IN THE NSCDC?
The Coalition of Worried Nigerian Citizens are indeed worried that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) may have been compromised in the discharge of its duties, especially with the case of an uncovered N7.5 billion contract scam in the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
Recently, the commission confirmed that a whopping sum of N7,500,000,000 (Seven billion five hundred million naira) scam was uncovered in a contract award process in the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
The EFCC through and internal report marked: CR:4564/EFCC/ABJ/CTGI/VOL.1/24 which was addressed to the Executive Chairman of the EFCC and signed by the Acting Director, Operations, Mr. Abdulkareem Chukkol, revealed that the commission indeed carried out an investigation into the allegations of contract malfeasance against the top management staff of the NSCDC including the Commandant General of the NSCDC and 20 other top management staff.
The report also indicated that 20 Bureau de Change operators were fingered in the contract racketeering in the NSCDC, while a certain individual was said to have collected a whopping N1, 000,000,000 (One billion Naira) which was allegedly converted to foreign currency; the EFCC report also indicated that it had recovered the sum of N1, 000,000,000 (one billion naira) from some of those involved in the contract scam.
The report also noted that despite the uncovering of the scam and subsequent recoveries of part of the fraudulently obtained monies, the Managing Director (s) of three companies, namely, ABSOLUTE SOLUTIONS, CERISE and MNT Limited had as at May 2024 refused to appear before the investigative panel even when the EFCC had linked them to the contract scam.
Also, recall that the EFCC in the said report promised that “the commission will prosecute every persons found guilty before the court in respect of the case.”
We, therefore, wish to ask the following questions:
- What has the EFCC done about this case since May, 2024?
- Has the EFCC found the evasive MD(s) of ABSOLUTE SOLUTIONS, CERISE and MNT Limited?
- Has the EFCC charged anyone to court as promised?
- What is the general status of the investigations at the moment?
It is of utmost importance that the EFCC must carry the Nigerian public along in the discharge of its duties, especially now that Nigerians are looking up to the commission to curb the ravaging corruption in public institutions. It is also pertinent that Nigerians see EFCC as working for the people and not a mere political tool to witch-hunt estranged political foes.
The EFCC is perhaps the most popular anti-corruption agency in Africa, but it has to live up to its name by ensuring that identified criminals who seek to sabotage the collective development and prosperity of Nigeria are brought to justice.