The Muhammadu Buhari administration on Saturday made public details of stolen funds recovered by the Federal Government in the one year that the All Progressives Congress (APC), has been in power.
President Buhari had on May 14 this year in London, promised to disclose full details of stolen funds recovered including names of those who had pilfered the funds.
The list was widely expected to be made public on May 29 when the administration marked its first year in office. President Buhari’s anniversary broadcast speech however failed to make any mention of the issue leading to criticisms from disappointed Nigerians.
Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, last Sunday on a television programme assured Nigerians the list would be release later in the week.
Nigerian Times checks revealed that President Buhari acting on legal advice, had decided to take a serious look at the legal implications of releasing names of individuals from whom funds had been recovered when the cases arising from the looted funds were still in court.
In the details of recovered funds made public, President Buhari appears to have bowed to sound legal advice and withheld the names of the corrupt public officials and other from whom the funds were recovered.
The details, released by the Ministry of Information and Culture, shows that the Federal Government recovered a total cash sum of N78,325,354,631.82, $185,119,584.61, £3,508,355.46 and €11, 250 between May 29, 2015 and May 25, 2016.
Also published were recoveries classified under interim forfeiture, a combination of cash and assets, : N126,563,481,095.43, $9,090,243,920.15, £2,484,447.55 and €303,399.17.
Also included were the sums totaled: $321,316,726.1, £6,900,000 and €11,826.11 representing anticipated repatriation from foreign countries.
A total of 239 non-cash recoveries were made public. These include: farmlands, plots of land, uncompleted buildings, completed buildings, vehicles and maritime vessels, the ministry said.
See statement below:
The Federal Government made cash recoveries totaling N78,325,354,631.82 (Seventy eight billion, three hundred and twenty-five million, three hundred and fifty-four thousand, six hundred and thirty one Naira and eighty two kobo); $185,119,584.61 (One hundred and eight five million, one hundred and nineteen thousand, five hundred and eighty four US dollars, sixty one cents); 3,508,355.46 Pounds Sterling (Three million, five hundred and eight thousand, three hundred and fifty-five Pounds and 46 Pence) and 11, 250 Euros (Eleven thousand, two hundred and fifty Euros) from 29 May 2015 to 25 May 2016.
In a statement in Lagos on Saturday, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, also disclosed that recoveries under interim forfeiture (cash and assets) during the period totalled N126,563,481,095.43 (One hundred and twenty six billion, five hundred and sixty three million, four hundred and eighty one thousand, and ninety five Naira, forty three Kobo; $9,090,243,920.15 (Nine billion, ninety million, two hundred and forty three thousand, nine hundred and twenty Dollars, fifteen cents; 2,484,447.55 Pounds Sterling (Two million, four hundred and eighty four thousand, four hundred and forty seven Pounds, fifty five Pence) and 303,399.17 Euros (Three hundred and three thousand, three hundred and ninety-nine Euros, 17 cents ).
According to the statement, which is based on the interim report on the financial and assets recoveries made by the various government agencies from 29 May 2015 to 25 May 2016, the funds awaiting return from foreign jurisdictions total $321,316,726.1 (Three hundred and twenty one million, three hundred and sixteen thousand, seven hundred and twenty six Dollars, one cent); 6,900,000 Pounds (Six million, nine hundred thousand Pounds) and 11,826.11 Euros (Eleven thousand, eight hundred and twenty six Euros, 11 cents).
It showed that non-cash recoveries (Farmlands, Plots of Land, Uncompleted Buildings, Completed Buildings, Vehicles and Maritime Vessels) during the period total 239.
The following is the breakdown of the recovered cash and assets
INTERIM REPORT ON FINANCIAL AND ASSET RECOVERIES MADE BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA FROM 29 MAY 2015 TO 25 MAY 2016
Cash Recoveries
| Serial | Items | Naira | US Dollar | GB Pounds | Euro |
| 1 | EFCC Cash at hand | 39,169,911,023.00 | 128,494,076.66 | 2,355 | 11,250 |
| 2 | Royalty/tax/payment to FGN account in JP Morgan account New York | 4,642,958,711.48 | 40,727,253.65 | ||
| 3 | ONSA Funds Recovery Account in CBN | 5,665,305,527.41 | 8,000,000.00 | ||
| 4 | VAT recovered from companies by ONSA | 529,588,293.47 | |||
| 5 | EFCC Recovered Funds Account in CBN | 19,267,730,359.36 | 455,253.80 | ||
| 6 | ICPC Revenue Collection Recovery in CBN | 869,957,444.89 | |||
| 7 | Office of the Attorney General | 5,500,000,000 | 5,500,000 | ||
| 8 | DSS Recoveries | 47,707,000.5 | 1,943,000.5 | 3,506,000.46 | |
| 9 | ICPC Cash Asset Recovery | 2,632,196,271.71 | |||
| Total | 78,325,354,631.82 | 185,119,584.61 | 3,508,355.46 | 11,250 |
Recoveries Under Interim Forfeiture
| Serial | Items | Naira | US Dollar | GB Pounds | Euro |
| 1 | Cash in bank under interim forfeiture | 8,281,577,243.92 | 1,819,866,364.73 | 3,800.00 | 113,399.17 |
| 2 | Amount frozen in bank | 48,159,179,518.90 | 7,131,369,498.49 | 605,647.55 | |
| 3 | Value of properties under interim forfeiture | 41,534,605,998.00 | 77,844,600.00 | 1,875,000.00 | 190,000.00 |
| 4 | Value of cars under interim forfeiture | 52,500,000.00 | |||
| 5 | ONSA Funds under interim forfeiture | 27,001,464,125.20 | 43,771,433.73 | ||
| 6 | Value of Assets Recovered by ONSA | 512,000,000.00 | |||
| 7 | ONSA Assets under interim forfeiture | 260,000,000.00 | |||
| 8 | DSS Recoveries Frozen in Banks | 658,929,000.00 | 226,476.20 | ||
| 9 | EFCC Cash in Bank under final forfeiture | 103,225,209.41 | 17,165,547.00 | ||
| Total | 126,563,481,095.43 | 9,090,243,920.15 | 2,484,447.55 | 303,399.17 | |
| Grand Total | 204,888,835,727.25 | 9,275,363,504.76 | 5,992,803.01 | 314,649.17 |
Funds Awaiting Return From Foreign Jurisdictions
| Jurisdiction | US Dollar | GB Pounds | Euro |
| 1 | Switzerland | 321000000 | |
| 2 | UK | 6900000 | |
| 3 | UAE | 310501 | 11826.11 |
| 4 | USA | 6225.1 | |
| Total | 321,316,726.1 | 6,900,000 | 11,826.11 |
Non Cash Recoveries
| Serial | Items | Quantity | ||
| ICPC | EFCC | ONSA | ||
| 1 | Farmland | 22 | ||
| 2 | Plot of Land | 4 | ||
| 3 | Uncompleted Building | 1 | ||
| 4 | Completed Building | 33 | 145 | 4 |
| 5 | Vehicles | 22 | 3 | |
| 6 | Maritime Vessels | 5 | ||
| Total | 82 | 153 | 4 | |
Segun Adeyemi
SA to Hon Minister of Information and Culture
Lagos
4 June 2016
