Business

EFCC denies release of list of Ex-Govs under N2.187 trillion corruption probe

Published

2 weeks ago

May 5, 2024

The Economic Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) has refuted claims that it published a list of former governors currently under investigation for N2.187 trillion alleged corruption by the anti-corruption agency.

In a statement on Sunday by the spokesperson the commission, Deye Oyewole, EFCC said the list did not emanate from them, adding that the report is both false and misleading.

A report headlined: “EFCC Releases Full List of 58 Ex-Governors that Embezzled N2.187 trillion”, in one of the news outlets (not Nairametrics) was purportedly issued by EFCC on Saturday.

According to reports, the 58 former governors – drawn from the six regions of the country – were allegedly being probed, while others have been investigated, and prosecuted.

Oyewole stated that the “so-called” list is a deceptive creation intended to serve purposes only known to its creators.

“The report headlined: “EFCC Releases Full List of 58 Ex-Governors that Embezzled N2.187 Trillion”, in one of the news outlets, is false and mischievous as the Commission neither issued the said list nor entertained discussions on investigation of ex-governors with any news medium.
“This invariably means that the so-called list is a disingenuous fabrication designed to achieve motives known only to the authors.
“The public is enjoined to ignore the report as it is false and misleading.
“The media is advised to endeavour to crosscheck facts pertaining to matters under investigation with the Commission to avoid misleading the public with false and inaccurate reports,” EFCC said.

Backstory

On Saturday, a media outlet (not Nairametrics) reported that EFCC is prosecuting a substantial number of former governors, with at least 58 implicated in the misappropriation, embezzlement, or laundering of about N2.187 trillion over the past 25 years.
According to the report, this figure does not account for properties confiscated worldwide or those still under investigation, which are worth billions of Naira.
The report also claimed that the the N2.2 trillion stolen is comparable to the aggregate budgets of Lagos State and the South-East states for 2024, which are N2.25 trillion and N2.29 trillion respectively.
In addition, it said the amount surpasses the 2024 budgets of the North-Central and North-East states, which stand at N1.89 trillion and N1.60 trillion respectively, by several billion.