24th April, 2024
By Kazeem Ugbodaga
Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede on Tuesday disclosed that the commission has recovered N120 billion from Nigerian fraudsters within six months of his assumption of office.
He disclosed this in Abuja at a news conference at the commission’s headquarters.
Olukoyede emphasised that Nigeria needs EFCC to survive as the commission kept recovering stolen money from people almost on daily basis.
“We need EFCC, we need this institution to survive, so many victims that we have wiped tears from their eyes, so many victims, in their millions, everyday we keep recovering money from people.
“In my six months, we have recovered over N120 billion and made over 1,600 convictions,” he said.
Referring to former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, the EFCC boss said: “Those we have convicted are they not human beings, does he (Bello) have two heads?
“Even if I am going to lose the case at the end of the day, submit yourself to the rule of law. Look I don’t get convictions, my job is to investigate and prosecute; conviction is the responsibility of the court, so nobody should come and blame me that I don’t get convictions.
“I do my job judiciously and leave it to the judiciary and the civil society to follow up. It is not within my power to convict anybody or lock anybody up. After he has refused invitation, nobody talked to him anymore. We don’t need him to make statement before we can even file a charge.
“We have gathered the necessary evidence. Come and answer to your charge. You refused to come and make statement here, but that does not stop me from making my charge and will he also refused to come and answer to those charges?
“We are talking about over N80 billion that belonged to the people of Kogi State allegedly stolen, so come and tell us you did not steal this money, is it today?
“EFCC has lost some cases, some of them are walking free on the streets now. EFCC has also lost some cases, I did not promise Nigerians that I will win all cases.”