Lawyer, Ejiofor Lambasts EFCC For 'Insulting Nigerians, Giving Absurd Reasons' To Hide Identity Of Abuja Estate Owner

Ifeanyi Ejiofor, a Legal practitioner, has criticized the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), calling its justification for concealing the identities of those linked to the 753 recovered duplexes an "insult to Nigerians' intelligence."

The EFCC had in a statement issued on Tuesday through its Head Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, attacked some Nigerians including human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, describing his request for the commission to name the culprit they took the valuable assets from as "uncharitable".

Oyewale had stated that the allegation of a cover-up of the identity of the promoters of the Estate "stands logical on the head in the sense that the proceedings for the forfeiture of the Estate were in line with Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud Act, which is a civil proceeding that allows for action-in-rem rather than action-in-personam".

He said that while the former allows legal actions against a property and not an individual, especially in a situation of an unclaimed property. "This Act allows you to take up a forfeiture proceeding against a chattel that is not a juristic person. This is exactly what the Commission did in respect of the Estate."    

Reacting in statement issued on Wednesday, Ejiofor, one of the leading Counsels to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), stated that EFCC's evasive justification is an insult to Nigerians intelligence.

"This statement from a supposed responsible government agency is nothing short of absurd. If the EFCC chose not to disclose the identities behind the seized properties, silence would have been a better option than this feeble justification. Citing Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud Act to excuse what appears to be a deliberate attempt to shield the real owners of these assets is not only laughable but deeply unprofessional.

"This is the same EFCC that tirelessly pursues unemployed Nigerian youths, tracking and blocking the proceeds of their legitimate efforts using state-of-the-art tools. Yet, when faced with uncovering the true beneficiaries of 753 duplexes built in a prime Abuja location, they falter and plead ignorance. Such a narrative is an insult to the intelligence of over 200 million Nigerians.

"Are we to believe that such a massive project lacks any trace of ownership? Who approved the building plans? To whom was the land allocated by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA)? What about certification by AGIS, or the contractors hired for the development? Every aspect of this project should have a paper trail.

"Instead of this evasive rhetoric, the EFCC should come clean and admit that certain powerful fantastically corrupt individuals are being protected. Hungry ravaged and impoverished Citizens deserve accountability, not a poorly crafted smokescreen," he said.