EFCC begins sale of forfeited assets in Rivers

Tina Amanda

The economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has said that it will ensure every proceed from corrupt practices is forfeited to the Nigerian government.

The Director of Public Affairs Department EFCC Headquarters, CE Osita Nwaja, stated this during the opening of the three days auctioning of final forfeited forty-five vehicles on Monday.

Nwaja maintained that every proceed from crime will be seized and returned to restitute the Nigerian people.

According to him, the recovered and forfeited assets to the government will be put into infrastructure development, education, and other amenities that will better the lives of the people.

He, however, said the exercise which is currently held across other states of the nation will be transparent, open, and free for anyone that wants to participate.

“We expect Nigerians to come in here who desire these vehicles. The exercise is going all through Nigeria, today is viewing day tomorrow and next is bidding.

“The vehicles are all proceeds of crime and have gone through the entire justice system and we have gotten final forfeitures order. The Justice system is a chain, once the crime has been committed there is an investigation, and when the investigation is concluded, we go to court.

“The court will make a pronouncement and part of the pronouncement is to collect the proceeds and return it to restitute the Nigerian people which is the last stage. if anyone commits a crime they should not for once think they will go away with the proceeding of the crime, the laws are there and the commission is going to implement the laws to the letter.

“The exercise will be transparent because EFCC Boss Abdulrasheed Bawa has charged us to make the process as transparent as it could be. The media is part of the process as a watchdog to ensure the process is undertaken with no hidden motives or hidden practices that will jeopardize the entire exercise”.

Meanwhile, some participants who spoke to our correspondent during the viewing exercise urged EFCC to ensure the auction process is fair to the public, to enable people to use it to start up businesses, given the economic hardship.

They said if the tools and equipment used to commit bunkering and other criminal activities are constantly seized such as trucks, dredgers, buses, and cars it will discourage and reduce the rate at which people go into illegal oil businesses.