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The House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on Assessment and Status of All Recovered Loots, Movable and Immovable Assets on Monday summoned the National Security Adviser Maj-Gen Babagana Monguno (rtd), the Accountant-General of the Federation AGF, Mr Ahmed Idris, and the Chairman Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC Mr Abdulasheed Bawa on the secrecy that shrouds the value and status of all recovered looted funds and assets.
The House Ad-hoc Committee’s investigations is centred on all the funds and assets recovered from 2002-2020 by key agencies of the federal government for efficient management of these funds and assets.
Declaring the investigation open, Speaker of the House Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila said that the committee’s investigative hearing on recovered funds and assets is to ensure prudent management of the nation’s resources.
He further said that the probe on total value of looted funds and assets is part of the House Legislative Agenda to ensure that the people entrusted with the responsibility of recovery of government assets account for it.
Also in a remark, Chairman of the Ad-Hoc Committee Hon. Ade Adeogun said that the asset recovery system in Nigeria has elicited negative reactions.
He further said that re-looting the loot has become a common slang in the country and the investigation will aid the fight against corruption in Nigeria.
Meanwhile the lawmaker who expressed displeasure over the absence of the Accountant-General of the Federation Ahmed Idris, Economic And Financial Commission Chairman Ahmed Bawa and Inspector-General of Police IGP Usman Alkali Baba said that they must appear unfailingly on Wednesday May 26, 2021.
No sooner had the investigative hearing commenced, when a member of the committee Hon. Oluwoke Oke (PDP, Osun) raised an observation over the absence of the Accountant-General at the hearing noting that it portends a grave danger to its findings.
The lawmaker had insited that the Accountant-General’s presence is key to the issue under investigation as he demanded that represesation be rejected.
Moreover, in the course of the probe, the committee discovered that the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and Nigeria Police records are not available at the Accountant-General’s office.
The committee further noted and lamented that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC Chief Executive, Prof Bolaji Owasanoye invited was absent.
The committee also discovered that from the documents submitted to it that the Accountant-General has not followed the financial regulations on disbursement of funds from many recovery accounts of key agencies domiciled in the treasury office.
To cap it all, a representative of the EFCC boss, Mr Bayo Animashaun who was grilled on the withdrawal of the sum of N371 million from one of the recovery accounts of the agency said that he made a mistake adding that he was not conversant with his job at the time of the withdrawal.
Consequently, the Committee Chairman, Hon Adesegun ruled that the Director of Banking Supervision of CBN, the EFCC Chair, and the NSA should appear unfailingly before the committee on Wednesday.
He further said that the Accountant-General of the Federation must appear unfailingly before the probe panel on Tuesday May 25, 2021 at 10.00am.