TheCable

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has launched a manhunt for the owner of N449 million discovered in a shopping plaza in Lagos state, Sam Amadin, spokesman of the commission in Lagos, has said.

In an interview with NAN on Saturday, Amadin said the agency was making efforts to reach the owner of the complex, with a view to knowing who rented the shop where the money was found.

“The shopping plaza, from preliminary investigation, was built by estate developers. From the developers, we will get the owner of the money,” he said.

“The people around the complex know the owner of the money. The place has not been in use for a long time, the owner only sneaked into the place to keep the money… We will find the owner very soon.”

On Friday night, the commission informed the public that it had recovered the money from a shop at LEGICO Shopping Plaza, on Ahmadu Bello way, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Operatives of the commission, acting on a tip-off by a concerned whistleblower, swooped on the shopping complex and sought the identity of the owners of two shops, LS 64 and LS 67, which were under lock and key.

“The shops had the signage of a Bureau de change. Inquiries about the owner of shop 64 indicated that he had not been seen for a long time, as neighbours claimed the shop had not been opened for business for close to two years,” the commission had said in a statement.

“The attention of the plaza’s chairman and some traders were drawn in order to force the shops open.

“There was no money found in shop 67, but in shop 64, heaps of Ghana-Must-Go bags were found on the floor of the shop.

“When the bags were unzipped they were found to contain bundles of Naira notes totalling N448. 85million.”