EFCC maintains silence as staff escapes with $30,000 recovered from suspects
Story by Dajen Comfort Yakubu
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has refused to clarify the recent internal scandal involving an officer in charge of the Kaduna Zonal Office’s exhibit room who allegedly absconded with over thirty thousand dollars ($30,000.00) and other valuable exhibits.
Earlier in January, the country’s flagship anti-corruption agency said it had detained ten officers in Lagos over theft of operational items they could not account for.
The officers were arrested in connection with the theft of some operational items that they could not account for.
The commission on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, stated that the ten officers detained were from the Lagos Zonal Command of the agency.
EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, said that the ten officers were being detained in respect of the investigation of some missing items involving them.
Oyewale said the action was an ongoing effort to sweep EFCC clean of corrupt tendencies.
The officers, who were arrested on the directives of the Executive Chairman, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, answered questions related to the theft of some operational items that they could not account for.
Although the Commission did not disclose the specific items stolen by the officials in the recent scandal, findings revealed that they stole gold bars worth over ₦1billion as well as over $180,000 and about GBP 140,000.
In the latest scandal, a member of staff of the Commission, simply identified as Polycarp, vanished into thin air when he failed to account for “over $30,000”.
Insiders noted that the zonal director, Benedict Ubi, a couple of weeks ago ordered an audit of the Directorate’s exhibit room, following the internal heist that occurred in Lagos.
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According to sources, when Mr Polycarp received the directive that the exhibit room would be audited, he took an excuse to ease himself and fled.
“Immediately after the order for audit was given, he took an excuse to ease himself. Efforts were made to contact him but all his telephone lines were switched off.
“This is only what the preliminary audit on foreign currency shows. There are chances that more could be uncovered after a thorough audit of the exhibit room,” the source said.
When contacted for clarification, Oyewale did not respond to inquiries.
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