TheCable

The Kwara state government says it has received N148 million recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

In a statement issued on Friday, Saad Hamdalat, press secretary of the ministry of finance and planning, disclosed that the sum was recovered from officials of the previous administration.

A bank draft for N148,049,580:81 — the recovered fund — was said to have been handed over by Kazeem Oseni, Ilorin zonal head of the EFCC, to Olasumbo Oyeyemi, commissioner for finance and planning, who received it on behalf of the state.

According to the statement, Oyeyemi commended the EFCC for “its patriotic efforts to stamp out corruption and abuse of public office”.

She added that the money would be deployed appropriately to serve the people of the state.

In March 2020, the EFCC had handed over N263,327,800 recovered loot to the Kwara state government.

Speaking at the handover to Abdulrahaman Abdulrazak, governor of the state, Isyaku Sharu, EFCC zonal head of Kwara at the time, disclosed that the sum included funds looted by officials of the Kwara state internal revenue service (KWIRS).

“These alleged looters siphoned from Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KWIRS) and 16 local government areas,” Sharu said.

“About five billion naira was allegedly siphoned from KWIRS and shared in the ratio of 30/70 by some notable individuals in the state through their cronies.”