By Damilare Adeleye
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has denied report that some funds forfeited by associates of a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele were shared among certain ministers and aides of President Bola Tinubu, in collaboration with its officials.
A report came out on Tuesday that some of Tinubu’s ministers and aides had been accused of sharing over N54 billion from the N120 billion forfeited to the Federal Government by Aminu Yaro and his wife, Saadatu Yaro.
The Yaros, who were associates of former CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele, reportedly agreed to forfeit the funds as part of a plea bargain with the EFCC to drop pending criminal charges against them.
According to sources, a portion of the forfeited funds, amounting to N54 billion, was distributed among certain ministers and aides of President Tinubu, in collaboration with EFCC officials.
“Emefiele’s accomplices Aminu Yaro and his wife, Saadatu Yaro forfeited N120 billion as plea bargaining,” one of the sources said.
“Now Tinubu’s aides and ministers shared over N54 billion of the money amongst themselves and EFCC is complicitly aware.”
However, in a statement released on Wednesday, Dele Oyewale, the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, denied allegations that any official of the agency has ever been involved in the sharing of proceeds from forfeited assets.
According to him, the notion of “sharing of proceeds of forfeited assets” is strange to the Commission.
He said, “The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, denounces as false the report by the online news platform, Sahara Reporters, alleging that N54billion forfeited by some associates of a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr. Godwin Emefiele was “shared” among certain ministers and aides of President Tinubu, in collaboration with EFCC officials.
“No official of the Commission was, or has ever been involved in the “sharing” of any proceeds of forfeited assets. The notion of “sharing of proceeds of forfeited assets” is strange to the Commission.
“Both the EFCC Act, 2004 and the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Act, 2022, are unambiguous in terms of the accounts into which proceeds of forfeited assets are to be paid.”
“There is no ‘platform’ for the ‘sharing of forfeited assets’; the notion itself being infantile,” he added.