Tinubu: EFCC recovered over N500bn, secured 7,000 convictions in two years

President Bola Tinubu says that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured over 7,000 convictions and recovered assets worth over N500 billion within the past two years under his administration.

Speaking on Monday at the seventh edition of a three-day capacity-building workshop for judges and justices, organised by the EFCC and the National Judicial Institute (NJI) in Abuja, the president, represented by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, said the figures reflect his administration’s commitment to the anti-corruption fight and the independence of the judiciary.

“The EFCC has recorded over seven thousand convictions in the first two years of my administration and recovered assets in excess of five hundred billion naira,” Tinubu said.

He added that the recovered proceeds are being channelled into social investment programmes, including the students’ loan and consumer credit schemes.

The president added that his administration has not interfered with the operations of anti-graft agencies or the judiciary, noting that both have been allowed to exercise their constitutional mandates freely.

“There is no person or group who can accuse this administration of shielding political actors on account of their affiliation to this government or the political party,” he said.

“We have allowed both the judiciary and the anti-graft agencies to exercise their constitutional and statutory powers.”

Addressing judicial officers, Tinubu acknowledged public frustration over delays in the adjudication of high-profile corruption cases while cybercrime matters are concluded more swiftly.

“The theme of this year’s workshop, ‘Enhancing Justice in the Fight Against Economic and Financial Crimes’, will resonate amongst many in this audience, coming at a time when conversation in the fight against corruption evokes anger over delayed adjudication of high-profile matters while cases involving cybercrime masterminds are determined with dispatch,” the president noted.

“There is also a certain level of consternation over decisions of courts in serious corruption matters that engender feelings that society is being left with the wrong end of the stick.”

Tinubu called on judges to strengthen the integrity of the judicial system, which he described as “the last sanctuary of our collective conscience.”

“We draw our moral distinction as a people from the judiciary, and we owe it the reverence and autonomy to remain the last sanctuary of our collective conscience,” he said.

On the evolving nature of financial crimes, the president stressed the need for continuous learning by judicial officers, noting that from simple email evidence to complex blockchain analysis, financial crimes have become more sophisticated.

“How does one do justice in a cryptocurrency fraud case except one is grounded in such matters? Learning and relearning is no longer a buzz phrase but an essential undertaking for continued relevance in this digital age,” he said.

“Your vantage position on the Bench does not insulate you from the consequences of corruption. There are no special roads, hospitals, or communities for judges.

“A Nigeria free of corruption is possible if we all commit to doing what is right in our respective spheres of influence.”