EFCC Hands Over Seized Beds, Mattresses To Unity Schools

The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has said the education sector is the leading beneficiary of the Federal Government’s asset recovery programme, with proceeds of crime now being redirected to improve student welfare and expand access to quality education.

Speaking during the handover of recovered assets by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) in Abuja on Tuesday, Alausa said President Bola Tinubu is committed to ensuring that resources recovered from criminal activities are reinvested in projects that directly benefit Nigerians, particularly children and young people.

The assets formally transferred to the Federal Ministry of Education include 501 double-decker bed frames, 939 mattresses and 12 wooden beds with mattresses.

According to the minister, the items will significantly improve accommodation and welfare for students in colleges and other educational institutions nationwide and will be distributed transparently and equitably to Unity Schools across the country.

Alausa said converting recovered assets into educational resources reflects a deliberate policy of turning proceeds of crime into opportunities that enhance learning outcomes.

He noted that education is central to the President’s vision of building a one-trillion-dollar economy through sustained investment in human capital development.

The minister recalled that President Tinubu had earlier approved the conversion of a forfeited university facility into the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia, instead of allowing the property to be sold.

He said the university has already enrolled more than 3,000 students in programmes spanning applied sciences, engineering, nursing, health sciences and other critical fields, creating fresh opportunities for young Nigerians to acquire skills needed for national development.

Alausa commended Olukoyede for strengthening public confidence in the anti-graft agency through professionalism, adherence to the rule of law and sustained efforts in tackling corruption, procurement fraud and cybercrime.

Earlier, the EFCC Chairman, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, said the assets were recovered during Operation Eagle Flush, one of the Commission’s largest cybercrime operations carried out towards the end of 2024.

He disclosed that the operation led to the arrest of about 792 suspects, including foreign nationals, who were investigated, prosecuted, convicted and repatriated after serving their prison terms.

Olukoyede said the restitution was in line with the provisions of the Proceeds of Crime Act and the Federal Government’s commitment to ensuring that recovered assets are transparently deployed for national development.

He noted that children and young people are among the greatest victims of corruption and financial crimes, making it appropriate for them to benefit from assets recovered from criminal enterprises.

The EFCC chairman also listed previous interventions by the Commission in the education sector, including the transfer of the forfeited university facility that now houses the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia, and the deployment of recovered proceeds of crime as part of the seed funding for the Nigerian Education Loan Fund.

According to him, about 1.4 million students have already benefited from the student loan scheme through tuition support and monthly upkeep allowances, easing financial pressures that often expose vulnerable youths to cybercrime and other financial offences.

The handover of the recovered assets was formalised through the signing of a Deed of Release by representatives of the EFCC and the Federal Ministry of Education, including the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mr. Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan.