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Looted Funds: EFCC, ICPC recovered $105.9m, not $967.5bn – AGF clarifies

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The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Prince Lateef Fagbemi SAN has clarified that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission ICPC recovered $105.9m, not $967.5bn looted funds in 2024 alone and not $967.5bn as mistakenly reported in some media.

Fagbemi said the figures quoted by the writers were false and completely at variance from his remarks at the Asset Recovery Summit held on May 27 in Abuja and entitled, “Synergizing Towards Effective Assets Recovery and Management.”

The AGF made the clarification on Friday in a statement he personally signed.

The statement read in part  “What I said in my speech is that, “In 2024 alone, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission reclaimed over N248 billion, $105 million, and 753 duplexes in its asset recovery efforts.

“The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, also successfully recovered N29.685 billion in cash and $966,900 in assets.

”The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has equally intensified its efforts in seizing assets linked to drug-related crimes, ensuring that illicit proceeds do not fuel further criminal activities.

“With regards to international recovery and repatriation of assets, it is pertinent to state that from 2017 to date, the Federal Ministry of Justice working in collaboration with its counterparts and international partners (the US, UK, Bailiwick of Jersey, Ireland, Switzerland), has facilitated the execution of various agreements, leading to the payment of fines, recovery and repatriation of assets in the sums of USD 763,734,000, and £6,472,610 GBP. Of these sums, a total of $102.88 million and £2, 062,000 GBP was recovered from 2024 to date.”

“While we commend the media houses who reported the correct figure, we appeal to those who reported the erroneous figure to do the needful by correcting the anomaly.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration remains resolute in its pursuit of transparency, accountability, and adherence to the rule of law in the management of recovered assets.

“Asset recovery is a fundamental pillar in our strategy to address corruption, economic crimes, and illicit financial flows, which undermine our national development. It is quite a significant strategy, as it serves as a deterrent, deprives criminals of the benefit of their criminal actions and restores confidence in government.

“I am pleased to note that Nigeria has earned global recognition in the area of asset recovery and no room should be given for mischiefs in these efforts.

“These funds are being managed through internationally recognized frameworks, including the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) and the Global Forum on Asset Recovery (GFAR) principles.

“From 2017 to 2024, USD 659,900,000 and GBP 6,472,610 of recovered funds were invested in conditional cash transfer and to partly fund critical infrastructure development under the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund Projects (PIDF) namely – the Lagos Ibadan Expressway (LIE), 2nd Niger Bridge (2NB), and Abuja-Kano Road (AKR).

“Furthermore, part of the repatriated assets has been earmarked for the renovation of selected Primary Healthcare Centres in Bayelsa State, provision of renewable energy under the Rural Electrification Project and development of the Rule of Law and Counter-Terrorism Project under the International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law”, he said.

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Garba Shehu’s ‘Villa rat’ confession proves Kanu’s prophetic insight- IPOB

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IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu

The Indigenous People of Biafra has said the recent revelations by the Spokesman to former President Muhammadu Buhari, Garba Shehu that they used the “Villa rat” invasion story to cover up Buhari’s prolonged illness and absence from governance, has vindicated the position of the pro-Biafran leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

In a press statement released by the IPOB’s Spokesman, Emma Powerful, on Saturday, the group claimed that Kanu was the first to bring the information to the public and was persecuted by the likes of Shehu, who described it as “fake news” and “hate speech”.

 

Powerful said, “The IPOB under the leadership of our incorruptible and prophetically gifted leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, notes with righteous vindication the stunning admission by Garba Shehu, former spokesman to the late President Muhammadu Buhari, that the now-infamous ‘villa rat invasion’ story was a calculated lie to cover up Buhari’s prolonged illness and absence from governance.

“Let the world take note: what Mazi Nnamdi Kanu said years ago on Radio Biafra, that Muhammadu Buhari was gravely ill and incapable of leading Nigeria, and that Aso Rock was enmeshed in a web of lies and deception, has now been confirmed by one of the principal architects of that deception himself.

“The same Garba Shehu who accused our leader of ‘fake news’ and ‘hate speech’, has now confessed, with no shame, that they orchestrated a national charade to fool over 200 million people. What greater treason can be committed than lying to an entire nation about the health and whereabouts of its so-called president?

“This disgraceful confirmation vindicates everything Kanu has ever said about the fraudulent and deceptive nature of the Nigerian state. He told the truth and was persecuted for it. He warned Nigerians that their President was missing in action, that shadowy forces had hijacked the machinery of government, and that the people were being ruled by deception.

“Instead of investigating the truth, the Nigerian media and political elite mocked him. They ridiculed his divine insight. They arrested him. They tortured him. They abducted and renditioned him. But they could not bury the truth.”

The group, however, insisted that Shehu’s cowardly confession is not an act of courage, adding that it is a delayed admission born of guilt and irrelevance.

“Where was this honesty when the Nigerian people needed it? Where was this ‘truth’ when IPOB and our leader were being vilified, jailed, and labeled terrorists for speaking it? If this level of deliberate misinformation had happened in any sane society, those responsible would be in jail for subverting the constitution, undermining national security, and deceiving the electorate. But Nigeria rewards mediocrity, protects liars, and punishes truth-tellers.

“Let it be clearly stated once again: Mazi Nnamdi Kanu does not lie. He does not speculate. He speaks only divine truth, and every word he has ever uttered is manifesting before your eyes. From the exposure of Buhari’s health fraud, to the Fulani expansionist agenda, to the illegality of his abduction and extraordinary rendition — time continues to prove Mazi Nnamdi Kanu right.

“Those who still doubt the divine calling of our leader should watch as every falsehood told against him crumbles one after the other. The truth is like the rising sun — it cannot be suppressed. Today Garba Shehu has confessed. Tomorrow others will follow. Aso Rock is a house built on lies, and the foundation is shaking,” the statement added.

The group urged Nigerians and international community to stop enabling tyranny in Nigeria, adding, “You now have confirmation from the mouth of the regime’s own spokesperson that the Nigerian people were lied to on a grand scale. If this does not concern you, then you are complicit.

“In the words of our leader: we are without fear before our enemies” and “in the end, we always win.”

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Enugu Govt averts bloodshed as boundary committee settles Isienu-Amagunze, Akpugo dispute

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A long-standing and potentially violent land dispute between Isienu-Amagunze in Nkanu East Local Government Area and Ndiuno Akpugo in Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State has been peacefully resolved by the Enugu State Boundary Committee.

The conflict, which nearly escalated into a bloodbath on December 11, 2024, followed allegations by residents of Isienu-Amagunze that Chief Uche Nnaji, Nigeria’s Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, had encroached on their land under the pretext of executing a federal project.

According to them, the project was a renewed attempt to take over farmland that had been unsuccessfully claimed four years earlier.

Tensions heightened when bulldozers invaded over six hectares of cassava and yam plantations owned by local farmers in Isienu-Amagunze.

However, swift intervention by the Enugu State Government prevented what could have been a deadly communal clash.

Fulfilling its promise to resolve the matter, the State Boundary Committee released its findings on Thursday July 10, 2025, affirming the demarcation between the two communities.

According to the committee’s report, “the boundary between both communities is the point demarcated by a seasonal stream known as the IYI – EZI stream bordering the Akpugo community and Isienu-Amagunze community,” which also serves as the current administrative boundary between Nkanu East and Nkanu West LGAs.

The announcement was made at the Government House, Enugu, in the presence of representatives from the disputing communities—Ndiuno-Uwani Akpugo, Ndiagu-Uwani Akpugo, and Isienu-Amagunze—as well as key government officials.

Among those present were the Commissioner for Chieftaincy, Local Government and Rural Development, Deacon Okey Ogbodo; representatives of the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice and the State Surveyor General; Secretary of the Committee, Barr. Solomon Ejim; and the Chairman of the State Traditional Rulers Council, HRM Ikechukwu Asadu (Igwe Ogadagidi).

Reacting to the decision, Hon. Anthony Okey Mbah, who represents Nkanu East Constituency in the State House of Assembly, praised the verdict, stating it “aligns with the position of the Isienu-Amagunze community to the boundary committee as to where the true boundary is.”

Hon. Mbah noted that the ruling contradicted the claim by the Akpugo community, which argued that the boundary should lie beyond the Nkanu East Local Government headquarters at the Atavu River.

On behalf of the traditional ruler, town union executives, and other stakeholders of Isienu-Amagunze, Hon. Mbah expressed deep appreciation to Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah for what he described as the “historic resolution” of a decades-long boundary conflict.

He further emphasized that “the swift intervention of the state government had averted what could have resulted in a bloody communal conflict between the two neighbouring communities.”

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Tinubu returns to Abuja after Saint Lucia, Brazil trip

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President Bola Tinubu is expected to return to Nigeria on Saturday (today) two weeks after his two-nation visit to Saint Lucia and Brazil.

The President’s spokesman, Bayo Onanuga announced this in a post on his official X handle.

Ekwutosblog recalls that Tinubu departed Abuja for Saint Lucia and Brazil on Saturday, June 28, 2025.

The President paid a state visit to Saint Lucia as part of efforts to deepen Nigeria’s engagement with Caribbean nations and strengthen South-South cooperation.

Tinubu on July 4th departed Saint Lucia for Brazil where he attend the 2025 BRICS Summit, held July 6-7, 2025.

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