PHOTOS: Vehicles Rot In EFCC ‘Detention’
Hundreds of vehicles seized from persons convicted or facing corruption and money laundering charges by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) are in a sorry state, THE WHISTLER can report.
The vehicles were in decrepit state at one of the facilities where the vehicles are kept in Abuja.
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The facility, opposite GRILLS 101 restaurant, near the National Mosque, Central Area, Abuja, holds large amount of vehicles, mostly SUVs and different brands of cars, especially Honda Accord and Toyota.
There are a few sports cars and some petrol trucks lying in the large fenced compound guarded by mobile policemen.
Our correspondent also observed that the compound housing the vehicles were surrounded by trees and over grown bushes.
Recall that the acting chairman of the EFCC, Mohammed Umar Abba had on Tuesday, expressed pain that vehicles and other proceeds of crimes seized by the commission were in a “deteriorating state.”
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Umar Abba, who stated this at the commencement of the 9th Senate Legislative Anti Corruption Strategy Implementation Session at the National Assembly Complex, was responding to the senators’ enquiry on the state of seized vehicles by the commission.
He said: “We are working on this challenge and I am sure the attorney general of the federation is coming out with a gazette so that this issue will be a thing of the past, not only vehicles, but landed properties.”
A source at the commission told this website that some of the vehicles had been in custody for years.
“They are disposed of in accordance with Order of Court after the determination of each case.
The EFCC Act gives power to the Secretary to the Commission or the Attorney General to make provisions for the disposal of forfeited assets,” the source explained.
The source said the situation was not the fault of EFCC as “Most of them, the cases are still in court. Until the cases are decided and the court make pronouncement, the commission cannot touch the assets.”
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He said the acting EFCC chairman is also concerned that the assets are wasting away, adding that the challenge is for the authorities to come up with proposals that would make it possible for such assets to be disposed of even when the cases are still pending.
He said it would help preserve the value of the assets irrespective of the outcome of litigation.
Below are some of the photos our correspondent was able to capture without being noticed by the mobile policemen guarding the facility.
