EFCC chairman claims many abandoned estates in Abuja owned by civil servants

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has said its investigations have revealed that many abandoned estates in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, are owned by civil servants.

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, spoke in Abuja on Wednesday at a policy dialogue organised by Law Corridor with the theme, ‘Critical Issues Affecting Nigeria’s Real Estate Ecosystem’.

Olukayode, while disclosing that the agency has set up a special team that would start visiting such properties, said some of the estates have been abandoned for over 10 years.

He warned lawyers and real estate developers not to lend themselves as willing tools in the hands of those who engage in money laundering.

I have set up the team. We will start visiting all the estates, not only Abuja but across Nigeria. We want to know who owns what.

“It will shock you that some of these estates have been abandoned for 10 to 20 years. They just take it to a level and they abandon it. Nobody knows what is going on.

“What we have been able to gather is that most of these estates were funded by civil servants who have stolen money.

“The moment they leave public service and the money is no longer coming, they abandon the estate. Then, the developer will start looking for investors to support them to complete the project.

“That is one of the things we have discovered in some of these abandoned estates and we have taken the pain to move against some of those estates.

“In a recent time, we have had cause to file for forfeiture for about 15 of them. We have gotten more intelligence too. Some of you sitting in this room, probably some of those estates belong to you.

“But very soon, we are expecting to also meet you in court because there is no way we will develop this sector if we continue with that attitude. I know some of you, you have your genuine source of capital.

“But again, we look at it too, the system has to help you. The system has to encourage you. I have taken it up with the bankers.

Start with what you can handle. Don’t let anybody hide under you and do money laundering. We are going to expose you. We are going to fish you out and bust the racket because we have got to a stage in Nigeria where all of us, we have to collaborate.

“The government will play its part. The private sector will play their own part for this country to move forward. It is my desire that by the time you are having another round of this engagement, we will have better news to share,” the EFCC Chairman added.

While decrying the level of corruption in the public service, Olukayode wondered how a level 17 officer whose salary is not up to N1million could afford to live in a N500m mansion.

“Yet, nobody asks questions,” he lamented, even as he called for a change of mentality, saying “we have to do something about this credit transactional system” for the country to be able to move forward.

“Look at countries where things work. Here, you buy your cars- cash, you build your house, everything, cash. Everything you do in Nigeria, cash. You buy your suit, cash.

“I mean, come on! We can’t build an economy that way, we can’t! I told them on the floor of the National Assembly.”

Continuing, the EFCC Chairman said: “People complain about the banking industry in Nigeria.