By Onyewuchi Ojinnaka
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC) on Tuesday handed over the sum of N263,327,800 to Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman Abdul Razaq. The funds were recovered from some officials of previous state administrations.
The above sum brings to about N373million looted funds so far handed over to the new administration. However, the total recoveries by the Kwara office of the EFCC in the past one year are in excess of N8 billion worth of assets and cash. Recall that last year, the EFCC handed over N111million to the state government.
Receiving the money from the Commission, Governor Abdul Razaq assured that the money would be put into funding social investment programme.
At a brief ceremony where the EFCC Ilorin Zonal head Isyaku Sharu handed over the cash, Governor AbdulRahman Abdul Razaq
commended the anti-graft body for the recovery and the handing over of the looted funds.
“We are quite exited for getting this money. This is a huge amount of money to be released to us at this time. It is mind-boggling that the situation has come to this,”
“Anytime arrest is made, some persons would rain abuses on the EFCC and even the state government but the money keeps coming in. Yet they claim nothing was stolen.
“We thank the EFCC. So far, we have got over N300million and it is a continuous exercise. On our part, we will be judicious in utilizing the fund. We will always remember that one day, we will leave this position we are today and we will be made accountable too. That is why we have to be responsible in what we do now.”
The governor said the over N111million earlier recovered and released to the state formed the seed money for the social security programme now underway for the benefits of the poorest of the poor in Kwara.
“The presence of the EFCC here makes everybody to sit up and being responsible and brought about change in perception, dynamism and thinking of the civil service and the entire citizens. We must all come together to kill corruption,” he said.
He also added that Kwara is currently paying N35million monthly to the Federal Government because the former administration collected N2billion loan for small businesses but mismanaged the money.
Speaking earlier, EFCC Ilorin Zonal head, Sharu, said the latest recoveries were majorly from the money looted from the Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KW-IRS) and local government fund by some former government officials.
“These alleged looters siphoned from Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KWIRS) and 16 local government areas,” Sharu said.
“About N5 billion was allegedly siphoned from KWIRS and shared in the ratio of 30/70 by some notable individuals in the state through their cronies,” Sharu disclosed.
He pointed out that the Zonal Office has secured 48 convictions and recovered at least N8.5billion worth of assets and money.
“The mandate given to us to conduct a holistic and all-inclusive cleanup of over two decades barefaced fraud and pen robbery on the good people of the zone is achieved. This is evident from the overwhelming success achieved in terms of convictions and recovery of assets,” Sharu stressed.